e M 



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Class 

Book. . 

Copyright N°_ 

COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT; 



THE MEANING OF THE MASS 



THE MEANING 
OF THE MASS 



Adapted to the Doctrinal, Moral and Historical 
Explanations of 

THE HOLY MASS 



REV. RIFFITH, D. D. 




PUBLISHED FOR THE AUTHOR 

BY 

P. J. KENEDY & SONS 
NEW YORK 



Ntlftl ©fastat" 

Francis E. Klauder, C. SS. R. 



Jlwprimatur 



* Thomas M. A. Burke, 

Bishop of Albany 



LIBRARY of CONGRESS 
One Copy Received 

JAN 16 1909 




Copyright, 1908, 

BY 

REV. M. J. GRIFFITH, D. D, 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 



Use of Vestments, 1 Candles, etc 7 

Nature of the Sacrifice of the Mass ... 21 
Excellence and End for which the Mass is 

Offered 23 

Obligation and Manner of Hearing Mass . . 45 

Public Preparation for Mass 54 

From the Introit to the Gospel 66 

The Gospel and the Nicene Creed .... 78 
Offertory of the People and Offering of Bread 

and Wine 91 

Wine and Water, Offering of the Chalice . . 101 
From Suscipe, Sancta Trinitas, up to the Secretae 

or Secret Prayers . 1 1 1 

The Preface and Sanctus . . . . . . 124 

Commencement of the Canon of the Mass . . 134 

Continuation of the Canon of the Consecration . 143 

The Consecration 156 

Continuation of the Canon after the Consecra- 
tion . . 176 



CONTENTS 

The End of the Canon of the Mass .... 184 
The Prayers which Follow the Canon up to the 

Agnus Dei 196 

Agnus Dei 208 

Communion of the Priest 219 

Communion of the People 230 

The End of the Mass . . . . . . , 240 



The Meaning of the Mass 

USE OF VESTMENTS, CANDLES, ETC. 

" The Queen stood on thy right hand, in gilded clothing; sur- 
rounded with variety." — Psalms 44 :g. 

These words of the royal prophet refer to the Church 
as the spouse of Jesus Christ, and their accomplish- 
ment is seen in the vestments worn by her ministers 
during the celebration of the sacred mysteries. Be- 
fore entering upon the promised explanation of the 
principal prayers and ceremonies of the Mass, in order 
that in so important a matter nothing may be omitted, 
my remarks will be concerning the vestments used by 
the priest at the altar, and the candles which are 
lighted at the commencement of Mass, for there is a 
meaning in every religious ceremony, and it would be 
wrong for us to witness these ceremonies all our life- 
time and not be able to understand their meaning, 
object, and end. 

The ceremonies of the Church are so many signs 
which express thought more vividly than words, and 
were established for our edification, for our instruc- 
tion, and to awaken our attention. We learn from the 
Scriptures that Almighty God attached special graces 
to these ceremonies, for we read in the Book of Exo- 
dus, 17: 11, that Moses prayed with his hands raised 



8 



The Meaning of the Mass 



towards Heaven, and when he lowered his hands the 
Israelites weakened, but as long as Moses remained 
with his hands extended toward Heaven the Israelites 
gained the victory over Amalek. St. Paul, who on 
many occasions instructed the Christians that they 
were free from the ceremonies of the law, held those 
of the Church in such high esteem that he would not 
listen to any reason for either changing or omitting 
them. " If," said he, " anyone seems to be conten- 
tious, we have no such custom, nor hath the Church 
of God." (i Cor. 11:16.) It is highly important, 
then, for us to know the true meaning or reason, not 
only of the ceremonies of the Mass, but also all those 
things which precede this great and holy act. 

But here you may say to me, and very justly, if the 
Church intends the faithful to understand the meaning 
of all her prayers and ceremonies, why does she cele- 
brate her offices in an unknown language? — why does 
she not use a language that all can understand ? This 
is an objection often made against the Church, and at 
first sight it seems to have some merit, but it is an 
objection that has been answered as often as made, 
and after I explain to you the meaning of the vest- 
ments and the candles used during the sacrifice of the 
Mass, I will endeavor to give you a reason why the 
Church recites all her prayers in Latin, and not in 
the vernacular or common language of the place or 
country. 

In society there are always special dresses for spe- 



Use of Vestments, Candles, Etc. 9 

cial occasions — dresses adopted for one place which 
would be unsuitable for another. In Europe there is 
a special dress for the courts of justice, a special dress 
for the halls of science, dresses for festive occasions, 
and dresses for times of mourning and sorrow. And 
why should not the Church have a special dress for 
her clergy in the celebration of the sacred mysteries? 
In the Old Law, God marked out the vestments to be 
used in the functions of the ministry, and, although 
we are not subject to all the ceremonies of the Old 
Law, nevertheless we should not enter in the holy of 
holies, and celebrate the Lord's sacraments, clad as 
for the ordinary duties of life. Religion has one dress 
for the ministry and another for ordinary use. True, 
the sacred mysteries, infinitely grand in themselves, 
do not require any external display of grandeur, but, 
then, mankind very often require external and sensible 
signs to remind them internally of the invisible gran- 
deur of the mysteries. The Church, in the early days 
of the Apostles, was poor, and consequently was not 
able to make any display of magnificence ; but since she 
became rich, by reason of the presents of the great and 
powerful ones of the earth who were converted to the 
faith, she celebrates the sacred offices with all the mag- 
nificence possible, because all that is grand in the world 
belongs to God and should be consecrated to His serv- 
ice and glory. " Silver is mine," says the Lord when 
speaking of the glory of the temple of the desired of 
nations. This it was which gave rise to the erection 



10 



The Meaning of the Mass 



of so many temples by those princes who either em- 
braced or authorized Christianity. We learn from his- 
tory that Constantine gave Narcissus, Bishop of Jeru- 
salem, a robe woven with gold, to be used when con- 
ferring the Sacrament of Baptism, and he also sent 
many ornaments to the churches, which he called God's 
houses. The custom of celebrating the sacred cere- 
monies with special vestments and ornaments was 
always universally observed up to the time they were 
abolished in many places by the Protestant Reformers. 
The custom, however, has not been entirely abolished 
among Protestants, for up to the present day it is 
observed in Europe, America and elsewhere among 
those who adhere to the Anglican or Episcopalian 
Church. The Catholic Church, which admits of no 
change in that which she practiced from the beginning, 
prescribes for her priests in the celebration of Mass 
the use of the Amice, Alb, Cincture, Maniple, Stole 
and Chasuble. The Amice takes its name from a Latin 
word which signifies to cover. It was introduced for 
the purpose of covering the neck, which, in olden 
times, among laymen and ecclesiastics, was bare, and 
it seemed more becoming in the Church to have the 
neck covered. The Amice is also regarded as a helmet 
which is worn on the head, so that the priest, when 
going to the altar, could consider himself as armed 
against the attacks of the evil one, according to the 
words of St. Paul in his epistle to the Ephesians : 
" Take unto you the armor of God, that you may be 



Use of Vestments, Candles, Etc. 11 

able to resist on the evil day ; take the helmet which is 
the hope of salvation," and hence the prayer said by 
the priest when putting it on : " Place, O Lord, upon 
my head the helmet of salvation." 

The Alb, so called from its being of white material, 
was originally a garment worn by the most distin- 
guished personages of the Roman republic, and be- 
came quite common among the clergy in the exercise 
of their ecclesiastical functions. The ancient Fathers 
always speak of the clergy as robed in white when in 
the Church, and we find this color used by those who 
serve at the altar where the Lamb without stain is 
sacrificed. The blessed spirits are represented clad in 
white robes, indicative of their purity. It is for this 
reason that the Church requires the priest, when vest- 
ing with the Alb j to pray that he may be whitened in 
the blood of the Lamb, that he may merit to share in 
the joys of Heaven. 

Those who wear long and flowing robes always find 
it convenient to use a cincture to facilitate them in the 
motion of walking. " Gird thyself," said the Angel 
to St. Peter, when he awoke him in prison. The cinc- 
ture is also an admonition to the priest to be careful 
to preserve the virtue of purity, and the Church re- 
quires that when putting it on he should ask Almighty 
God to gird his loins with a cincture of purity, to 
enable him to preserve his chastity. 

The Maniple comes from a Latin word which means 
a towel or handkerchief, because in olden times the 



12 



The Meaning of the Mass 



maniple was a linen cloth which was used to wipe the 
perspiration from off the face, and was generally car- 
ried on the left arm. In more recent times it became 
an ornament, and at present it is used as a figurative 
handkerchief, intended to wipe off not the body alone, 
but the mind and the heart, to banish the fear of labor, 
and to inspire a love of good works. 

The Stole is a mark of power attached to the func- 
tion, and for this reason it is worn by bishops, priests 
and deacons only, sub-deacons and all inferior officers 
being forbidden to use it. When putting on this vest- 
ment of honor the Church wishes the priest to ask 
Almighty God to enable him to regain that innocence 
and immortality with which man was adorned when 
first he came from the hands of the Creator. 

The Chasuble was formerly a large round cloak, 
open only at the top to allow the head to pass through. 
During the first seven centuries it was the ordinary 
garment of those who wore long robes. After that 
time the laity gave up the custom or garment, but 
those who were consecrated to God retained it. The 
Greeks still preserve it, unaltered. The Latins modi- 
fied it a little, so as to have the hands free, otherwise 
it would be heavy to tuck up and raise it whenever 
the priest offered incense or at the elevation of the 
host and chalice. In former times the chasuble cov- 
ered the whole body, and was intended to represent 
the yoke of Jesus Christ, and nowadays it is admirably 
represented by the cross, which is always on the back. 

I 



Use of Vestments, Candles, Etc. 18 

Besides the vestments worn by the priest at Mass 
there is the tunic, worn by the sub-deacon, and the 
dalmatic, worn by the deacon at solemn Masses ; these 
vestments are intended to mark the joy with which 
the ministers of the Lord should serve at the altar. 
The Capes used generally at Vespers were, in ancient 
days, cloaks worn during rainy weather at proces- 
sions, and the cape at the back of it was a kind of 
hood intended to cover the head. Since that time these 
cloaks, which are generally made of costly material, 
are used in the Church as an ornament for solemn 
services. 

In her sacred offices the Church uses vestments, 
sometimes of one color, sometimes of another, intended 
to represent the mystery she honors, or the feast she 
celebrates. White is used for the glorious mysteries 
of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and for the festivals of 
virgins; red for martyrs; violet in times of penance; 
black for the service of the dead, and green for Sun- 
days and other ordinary days. In this, as in other mat- 
ters which are not of ecclesiastical discipline, there are 
different customs in different churches. 

All this apparel is intended to impress upon our 
minds the great care we should observe, and never to 
appear before the Lord unless we are inwardly 
adorned with every kind of virtue, for the exterior 
ornament should be a sign or a sensible mark of the 
virtue with which our soul is adorned. This is the 
impression which the priest, when clothed with the sa~ 



14 The Meaning of the Mass 

cred vestments, should make upon the minds of the 
people when he comes from the sacristy to the altar, 
and from this the faithful should learn also that when- 
ever they come to Mass they should do so with pro- 
priety and decency, showing the care with which they 
have prepared themselves inwardly, and always bear 
in mind what the Lord said to Moses in reference to 
the people who approached the holy mountain. " And 
He said to him," as we read in Exodus 19: 10, " 1 go 
to the people and sanctify them to-day and to-morrow, 
and let them wash their garments; and let them be 
ready against the third day, for on the third day the 
Lord will come down in sight of all people on Mount 
Sinai.' " 

In the first ages of the Church the Christians who 
assembled on Sunday early in the morning, and who, 
on account of the persecutions, were often obliged to 
take refuge in dark and obscure places, found it neces- 
sary to light candles or lamps in order to see what 
they were about. Sometimes even, according to Jew- 
ish customs, they doubled the number of candles as a 
greater mark of joy. And St. Luke tells us (Acts 
20: 8) that there were a great number of lamps in the 
place where St. Paul preached a long sermon on 
the first day of the week, which, according to St. John, 
is called the Lord's day, Sunday. Hence is derived 
the custom of lighting candles — not only at the even- 
ing service, in order to be able to read, but also dur- 
ing the daytime, and to mark the solemnity of the 



Use of Vestments, Candles, Etc. 15 

festival by the number of candles lighted. About the 
year 230 the Lord performed a miracle in order that 
the Church of Jerusalem might not be deprived the 
joy of an illumination, for, as Eusebius says, " the oil 
having failed, the holy bishop Narcissus took some 
water from a neighboring well and put it in all the 
lamps, whereupon they shone more brilliantly than if 
they had been filled with the best of oil." The same 
author tells us that on Easter Sunday night, besides 
the illumination of the churches, the Emperor Con- 
stantine had large candles and every species of lamps 
lighted in all the streets of the city, so that the night 
was more brilliant than the day. 

The custom of lighting candles at Mass during the 
daytime was first introduced by the Eastern Church, 
and we have every reason to suppose they took it from 
the Jews, for at that time, as well as at the present 
day, the Jews kept a lamp constantly before the book 
of the law of Moses; and certainly it was eminently 
proper that the Gospel, when announced solemnly, 
should be preceded or accompanied by a light, which 
would mark the respect due to the holy book 
which shed light all over the dark places of the Old 
Law. That which was observed in the Churches of 
the East, and which was practiced for more than 1400 
years, as we learn from St. Jerome, was followed by 
the other churches, and, not content with lighting can- 
dles during the reading of the Gospel, they were kept 
lit during the whole of the sacrifice where Jesus Christ, 



16 



The Meaning of the Mass 



our true light, is really present, and afterwards they 
were lit during all the offices, and this, for many rea- 
sons, to render them more solemn; to lead the people 
assembled to think of Jesus Christ, who is the true 
light. And on this account an ancient writer says, speak- 
ing on this matter : " We never celebrate Mass with- 
out a light — not for the purpose of dispelling darkness, 
for Mass is always said on full day, but in order to 
have a symbol of the Divine Light, present on our 
altar in the sacrament which is there effected, and with- 
out which we would be as much in darkness as in the 
blackest night. The lighted candles admonish us that, 
being formerly in darkness, we have been enlightened 
in Jesus Christ, and that we must account ourselves 
children of light by our acts of charity, of justice, and 
truth. 

And now a few words as to the reason why the 
Church uses the Latin language in all her offices, and 
not the vernacular in each country. 

At the commencement of Christianity the Church 
recited her offices in the vernacular of each country, 
and she would wish it were the case at the present 
day, as it would be productive of great good ; but it is 
impossible to change the ancient language which for 
so many years has ceased to be a vernacular tongue 
on account of the great inconvenience that would nat- 
urally result and which would do more harm than 
good. In the first place, although the Latin language 
is not the vernacular of all the people of the Eastern 



Use of Vestment s , Candles, Etc. 17 

Church, nevertheless it is a language most universally- 
known throughout Europe, and consequently the one 
that can be most conveniently used. 

There is no language equal to it in dignity. It was 
spoken by kings, who gave it a character of dignity 
unique in history which the most perfect languages 
have never been able to attain. It was the language 
of the Roman conquerors, and even across the broad 
Atlantic to our own country. It is the language of 
civilization, the language of science. 

In vain do Protestants repeat the objection of its 
being a language unknown to the people, and ask why 
does the Church of Rome persist in using an unknown 
language. But what more sublime idea than a uni- 
versal language for a universal Church. The Catholic 
may wander from pole to pole, and whenever or wher- 
ever he enters a church of his rite he is at home, and 
nothing is strange to him. When entering the Church 
he sees the same altar and hears the same prayers 
he was accustomed to from infancy, and can join 
with his brethren in singing the praises of God; he 
understands them and they understand him. 

The brotherhood which results from a common lan- 
guage is a mysterious bond of immense strength. In 
the ninth century, Pope John VIII. gave the Sla- 
vonians permission to celebrate the divine service in 
their own language, and was afterwards forced to 
acknowledge the inconvenience of the toleration. 
Gregory VII. withdrew this permission, but it was 



18 



The Meanmg of the Mass 



too late with regard to the Russians. If the Latin 
language had been introduced among them they never 
would have fallen under the degraded Greeks of the 
lower empire. 

If the vernacular were used in each country the 
prayers would be subject to constant changes, because 
the living languages change incessantly, and after one 
hundred years the language of a people is never the 
same. In these constant changes many essential vari- 
ations might, unperceived, enter the dogma of faith, 
the deposit of which is found in the public prayers of 
the Church. 

And then, again, it would be necessary to celebrate 
the divine services in three or four different languages 
in one and the same city, town, or village, and in 
each of these languages there should be changes ac- 
cording as the language changed. And hence it fol- 
lows that those who go from one country to another 
would know nothing of the public prayers of the 
Church, and the priests themselves would not be able 
to say Mass on account of not knowing the ver- 
nacular. 

Experience shows that to change the language of 
the public is a very difficult task. See the result of it 
among Protestants. The translation of the Psalms by 
Marot and Beza is not intelligible at the present day; 
their ancient translation of the Scripture is a language 
so old that it can scarcely be understood. After a 
great deal of discussion on the matter it was found 



Use of Vestments, Candles, Etc. 19 

necessary to make a new translation, and consequently 
a new version. 

There are a great many essential changes in the 
new Bibles of Switzerland and Geneva. Even new 
translations wander farther away from the true sense 
of Scripture, and the people who have these books 
among them esteem themselves happy, not thinking 
that, instead of the word of God, they have but too 
often the private interpretation of their doctors, who, 
despising the Church, the pillar and ground of truth, 
which Jesus Christ has commanded us to hear, under 
the pain of being considered pagans and publicans, and 
who, allowing themselves to be seduced by their own 
ideas, do not preserve even the first foundations of 
Christianity. 

This cannot happen in the Catholic Church; this 
spouse of Jesus Christ preserves intact the deposit of 
faith and the Word of God, and never allows the least 
change to be made by any of her children. She pre- 
fers, rather, to deprive them of some consolation than 
change the ancient customs and the language of the 
early centuries. The use of Latin is not intended to 
conceal the mysteries of salvation from the people, 
because she commands her pastors to explain the 
prayers and ceremonies to the people, and her invaria- 
ble principle is never to change anything which con- 
cerns the faith. 

Protestants in general bring the fourteenth chapter 
of the First Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians, as 



20 



The Meaning of the Mass 



an objection against the use of Latin in the Church, 
In this epistle St. Paul says nothing about the public 
service of the Church, which at Corinth was in the 
Greek language and which all the people understood, 
but, on the contrary, St. Paul approves of the un- 
known language in the Church, provided what is said 
is translated for those who do not understand. He 
censures the abuse which was introduced by reason of 
the gift of tongues, and never wished any instruction 
to be given in an unknown language unless there was 
someone present to interpret what was said. 

We may furthermore say the language of the 
Church in her public offices is not absolutely an un- 
known language. There are a great many people 
acquainted with it, and there are translations of the 
services in every language for those who do not un- 
derstand the Latin. Instead of envying those w T ho 
have their services in the vernacular we should con- 
sider ourselves happy in belonging to that Church in 
which we can find the true means of serving God here 
on earth and of blessing Him forever in Heaven. 



NATURE OF THE SACRIFICE OF 
THE MASS 



" And he took the blood, and sprinkled it upon the people, and 
said : This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord hath made 
with you concerning all these words." — Exodus 24:8. 

These words were spoken by Moses, nor is there 
here any question of a transitory alliance or covenant 
of a law of death. This covenant was cemented with 
blood as the first which God made with His people, 
but it is no longer the blood of a mortal victim, of a 
senseless and irrational host — it is the blood of a God, 
which, shed in honor of a God, fully and completely 
repairs the outrage offered to God; it is the blood of 
the most holy, of the most excellent of the children 
of men, which, shed for the salvation of man, gives 
him the assurance of pardon and grace, peace and 
happiness. The words were spoken by Him whom God 
had given us as a victim ; it is from Him we learn the 
real presence of the precious blood shed for the remis- 
sion of sin. He it was who spoke the divine words 
of the institution of the august sacrifice of our altar. 

Christ Jesus, clothed with a mortal body to glorify 
His Father and to redeem mankind by His blood, 
wishing to extend His kingdom, desired when dying 

91 



The Meanmg of the Mass 



to leave His Church a sacrifice worthy of Him, which 
might be as a center of religion, where all the glory 
of the Father and the faith of the people might unite ; 
where man might find the full remission of his sin and 
an assurance of life eternal. 

Who could believe that a Christian with whom He 
has contracted so intimate an alliance, upon whom 
He has conferred so many favors, and from whom He 
requires such eminent sanctity, would be wanting in 
sacrifice to honor God, to render a thanksgiving worthy 
of Him, whilst the most barbarous and savage tribes, 
through a natural desire or inclination, have offered 
to their false divinities cruel and ridiculous sacrifices, 
which, although proofs of their ignorance and bru- 
tality, serve, nevertheless, as testimonies of their reli- 
gion. Christ Jesus would not certainly refuse us the 
means of honoring His Father and of acknowledging 
His redemption. He himself becomes the victim, in 
whom all dignity is found and where perfect adora- 
tion is practiced up to the end of ages. For He insti- 
tuted the Eucharistic sacrifice to represent the sacrifice 
of the Cross. 

The time having at length arrived when the Savior 
of the world should consummate the great work for 
which He came on earth, the redemption of mankind, 
He took upon His shoulders the instrument of His 
torture and went to the place of ignominy, there to 
procure for His Father the most perfect homage that 
could be offered Him. There, crowned with thorns, 



Nature of the Sacrifice of the Mass 23 

His countenance all besmeared with blood, His body 
lacerated in all its members, His hands pierced and 
outstretched, surrounded by the angels of peace, who 
wept bitter tears, He raises His eyes to Heaven; no 
word escapes His lips, but His wounds plead in favor 
of those who caused them. There, in the most pro- 
found devotedness, He adores His Father, satisfies His 
justice, thanks Him for the torments which He suf- 
fers, and, dying, requests that He can die but once. 
There the Word incarnate honors the Divinity in a 
manner such as all Christians, united, animated by the 
most heroic charity, could never approach. 

And this homage He renews in the Eucharistic mys- 
tery (incessantly prostrated before God, there hum- 
bled with the most profound respect), He again offers 
His blood and sacrifices Himself without reserve, so 
that, in order to glorify His Father in an infinite man- 
ner, all the merit of His death, all that was achieved 
by His sufferings upon the cross, are on our altar. 
True, He cannot again suffer and die, but everything 
here recalls His death and represents it perfectly. We 
have a figure of His death in the mysterious separa- 
tion of the body and blood, since, by virtue of the 
words of consecration, the chalice contains the blood 
and the body is contained in the bread, and if Jesus 
Christ is whole and entire in the one and the other as 
He in reality is, it is by the natural concomitance 
which every living body supposes. We have a figure 
of it in the distribution of the species, when it becomes 



24 



The Meaning of the Mass 



our food, impassible and immortal as He is, He dies 
a mystic death. We have a figure of it in the end, 
proposed when he said " Do this in commemoration 
of me," for it is impossible to think of Him without 
thinking of His passion. Hence it is when offering it 
to the Eternal Father we say : " Be mindful of His 
poverty." Remember the want to which He was 
subjected and the penitent and crucified life He led. 
" Be mindful of His tears," those tears of blood which 
streamed from every pore of His body. Remember 
the bitter chalice which He drank to the dregs. Re- 
member His opprobrium, that He was annihilated 
even to become as a worm of the earth. He deserved 
only praise and adoration, but hesitated not to end His 
days in infamous torture. Remember, O Holy Father, 
remember thy Son, who loved Thee to an indefinite de- 
gree, and who testified His love by every drop of His 
blood. 

I might even go farther and say that in the sac- 
rifice of the Mass there is something more than was 
on Calvary. In the Mass the Savior is more pro- 
foundly humbled than on Calvary ; He is more divinely 
sacrificed. And how so ? Because He gives man power 
to call Him upon the altar, gives him power to con- 
sume Him, to distribute Him to others, to carry Him 
about from place to place, and to dispose of Him at 
will. Because He degrades Himself by descending into 
our bodies, which, on account of their defilement, are, 
alas, too often more horrible than the place on which 



Nature of the Sacrifice of the Mass 85 

He expired. Because, even supposing that we receive 
Him with true piety, He finds in us after all an abode 
unworthy of Him. 

And what shall we say of the many other accidents 
which warrant a sort of preference for this sacrifice 
divine in every manner? Divine in its continuity, the 
sacrifice of the Cross was offered but once ; the sacri- 
fice of the Mass is offered without interruption. Di- 
vine in its immensity, the sacrifice of the Cross was 
offered at Jerusalem alone; the sacrifice of the Mass 
is offered by the hands of thousands of priests in 
every part of the globe. Divine in its perpetuity, the 
sacrifice of the Cross lasted only three hours; the 
sacrifice of the Mass has lasted for more than 1800 
years and will last up to the end of time. Divine in 
the manner of execution, on the Cross Christ Jesus 
was in the natural state of a man suffering; on the 
altar He occupies a position incomprehensible and 
ineffable; He sacrifices Himself without suffering; 
He is separated without being divided; He is eaten 
without being destroyed. On our altar He is the 
same as He reigns in Heaven, but without His splen- 
dor; He is there as He was on the Cross, but without 
its sorrow and its agony. Behold the miracle of this 
holocaust! His heart is the altar, His love the fire, 
His humanity the victim, God is the term, and Heaven 
to which we ascend is the reward. On the Cross, 
Christ Jesus satisfied His love by giving His life for 
us; but in dying He ceased to be with us corporally; 



The Meaning of the Mass 



on our altar He continues to satisfy that love, and He 
remains corporally with us by a sacramental and real 
presence. On the altar He applies to us the wonder- 
ful effects of His passion, without losing any of the 
pleasure He experienced from being- with us, for as 
we read in the book of Proverbs 8:31: " His delight 
was to be with the children of men." 

When our Savior died upon the Cross He satisfied 
for our sins, but this satisfaction did not take effect 
with regard to us, for we were not then in existence, 
but it is daily applied to us by the renewal of His 
death which takes place on our altar. The sacrifice 
of the Mass is not a supplement, but rather a repeti- 
tion of the sacrifice of the Cross. The sacrifice of the 
Cross was most perfect, consequently needs no supple- 
ment. On the Cross, Christ Jesus worked out and 
merited our redemption; there He paid the full price 
of our ransom, and the same Jesus Christ who paid 
that ransom is present on our altar to consummate 
His work by applying it to us. The sacrifice of the 
Mass is a continual application of the sacrifice of 
the Cross, or, rather, it is a continual celebration of the 
sacrifice of the Cross. And for this reason it is called, 
in a certain sense, a sacrifice of redemption, for we 
do pray to the Lord that He would enable us to 
worthily celebrate these mysteries; every time we 
make commemoration of the Host we renew the work 
of redemption; that is to say, in applying it we con- 
tinue it, we consummate it. 



Nature of the Sacrifice of the Mass 27 

In the sacrifice of the Mass, Christ Jesus is not only 
the victim offered — He is also the high priest who 
makes the offering of Himself through the priests, 
who are His organs, His ministers. This we are 
taught by the council of Trent ; it is also the teaching 
of St. Augustine, who, speaking of the sacrifice of 
the Mass, says that Jesus Christ is the priest who 
offers, and is at the same time the victim offered. 
This truth is based on the eternity of His priesthood : 
" Tu es sacerdos in aeternum " — " Thou art a priest 
forever." The priesthood of Jesus Christ is not like 
that of the Old Law. In the Old Law the priests 
succeeded each other because death prevented them 
from being always clothed with this dignity, but Jesus 
Christ, who abides forever, to intercede for us, pos- 
sesses an eternal priesthood, of which He cannot be 
deprived to communicate it to another. He may have 
ministers of His priesthood, but He cannot have suc- 
cessors. Jesus Christ, having instituted the Eucharist 
in order to continue on our altar the sacrifice which 
He consummated on the Cross, and since there can be 
no true sacrifice without a priest to make the obla- 
tion, He must himself be the priest of the sacrifice of 
our altar, as He is also the victim. 

Since His ascension into Heaven our Savior no 
longer appeared visibly on earth to perform the 
priestly functions, but He established ministers to 
represent Him, and they are, as it were, the deposi- 
taries of His sacerdotal power. Moreover, the Church, 



The Meaning of the Mass 



which is a visible society, could not subsist on earth 
without a visible sacrifice, and this sacrifice could not 
be offered except by ministers who would visibly per- 
form the functions of the priesthood. Now, the Mass 
being the visible sacrifice which Christ left to His 
Church, it was necessary for Him, before He returned 
to Heaven, to appoint ministers who would visibly 
make the offering which He himself makes in an 
invisible manner. And this He did when He insti- 
tuted the Eucharist; He gave His Church the power 
of offering His body and blood when He said : " Do 
this in commemoration of me." What was to be done 
in commemoration of Him? The same that He him- 
self had done then and there. He took bread and 
wine and, having blessed them, changed them into His 
body and blood and gave His Apostles power to do 
the same; He established them the ministers of His 
priesthood. He did not intend that this power should 
extend to all the faithful, for, if that were the case, 
women would be capable of exercising the functions 
of the ministry. But St. Paul would not allow them 
even to speak in the Church, much less to offer the 
sacrifice. This power was restricted by Christ to the 
Apostles, and in them to the bishops and priests, who 
are their successors. 

If we consider in the sacrifice of the Mass only that 
which we see with our eyes it certainly appears dif- 
ferent from that of the Cross. Christ Jesus is not 
visible in human form, as He was on Calvary; there 



Nature of the Sacrifice of the Mass 29 

is no shedding of blood; He does not die as He did 
on Calvary; but if we consider the design He had in 
view when He instituted the Eucharist, to leave us a 
memorial of His passion, and the commandment He 
gave the Apostles, to do what He had done, in com- 
memoration of Him, the sacrifice of the Mass is not 
different from that of the Cross, but simply a continua- 
tion of it, since we every day offer to God on our altar 
not only the true body and blood of Jesus Christ, but 
also the death which He suffered for us on the Cross. 

The surroundings of Calvary had nothing in com- 
mon with the action of the high priest who suffered 
the bloody sacrifice of the Cross. It was the offering 
which Jesus Christ made to His Father of the blood 
which He shed and the death which He suffered at 
the same time, in order to render Him the supreme 
homage which was His due — to repair by a profound 
obedience the injury which man had done by His rebel- 
lion and sin. 

It is the same death which is to-day offered on our 
altar, and which will be daily offered throughout the 
world up to the end of time, either by Jesus Christ 
himself, who, as high priest, continues to make the, 
invisible oblation of His body and His blood, or by the 
priests who are His visible ministers, or by the faith- 
ful, who, being members of the body of the Church of 
which Christ is the head, unite with Him to present 
to God the sole and only price of redemption. So that, 
as the two sacrifices differ only in the manner of immo- 



30 



The Meaning of the Mass 



lating or slaying the victim, the death which Jesus 
Christ suffered on the Cross and that which He offers 
to God in the sacrifice of the Mass being the same, it 
follows that the sacrifice of the Cross and the sacrifice 
of the Mass are the same, differing only in the manner 
of offering. 

In what does this difference consist? Christ died 
upon the Cross ; He actually shed His blood, and con- 
sequently can die no more. On the altar He offers 
himself in a mystic manner, which represents His death 
— in other words, His oblation and immolation took 
place openly on the cross, without any veil or figure; 
in a word, He died in his own person, whilst in the sac- 
rifice of the Mass the external oblation is made under 
the veil, and visible appearance of bread and wine, con- 
sequently, is a mystic and sacramental oblation. On 
Calvary He shed His blood; on the altar He offers 
himself in an unbloody manner. On Calvary He of- 
fered His present death — that is to say the death He 
suffered there and then; on the altar He offers His 
death, which is past and consummated. He offered 
His death on Calvary as a sacrifice of redemption, and 
in order to merit for mankind the graces of which they 
stood in need. On the altar He offers himself as a 
sacrifice of propitiation and to apply to mankind the 
graces He merited for them on the Cross. The merit 
of these graces was perfected on Calvary; the appli- 
cation of them is made in the sacrifice of the Mass. 

By this different mode of offering we share in the 



Nature of the Sacrifice of the Mass 31 

bloody sacrifice of the Cross. For as in order to share 
in the fruit of the ancient sacrifices it was necessary 
to eat of the victim sacrificed, so, in order to be sancti- 
fied by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and to participate 
in the victim which He offered on the Cross — that is to 
say, His body — we must really eat of it, according to 
the words of Christ himself : " Unless you eat of the 
flesh of the Son of Man and drink of His blood you 
shall not have life in you." — John 6: 54. 

The sacrifice of the Mass then being the same as 
that of the Cross, the mystic immolation which there 
takes place is intended to recall His death and to 
represent the passion which He suffered on Calvary, 
what should be our thoughts and what should we do 
when we assist at Mass? To assist at Mass is to be 
present at the sacrifice of the death of a God, the 
same that was offered on Calvary, the same that 
Jesus Christ consummated on the Cross, the same 
wherein this God made man consent to be annihi- 
lated. This is not a supposition; it is an article of 
faith; the victim is the same God whom we adore 
and serve. Consequently, if by any irreverence or 
scandal on our part we add to the humiliations of the 
cross which are renewed in the sacrifice of the Mass; 
if, w r hen contemplating our Divine Savior on the altar, 
our hearts are not broken as were the stones at the 
moment when He expired ; if this dying victim excites 
not in our hearts a contrition as firm as was that of 
the Centurian and of the Jew who was converted at 



32 



The Meaning of the Mass 



His death; if by our irreverence we insult His agony 
as did the soldiers and executioners who crucified 
Him, are we not deserving of more rigid punishment 
at the hand of God? For either we believe what 
faith teaches concerning the sacrifice of our religion 
or we do not. Whichever side we take there is no ex- 
cuse for us. If we believe that it is a true sacrifice 
offered to a true God, and in which a true God is 
sacrificed, and sacrifices Himself, are we not more 
guilty than the Jews who crucified Him because they 
knew Him not? If we are wanting in faith, if we 
do not believe that Christ is present in the sacrifice, 
why assist at it? Why obey a law which, according 
to our false ideas, is neither a commandment nor a 
duty for us? In such a case what are we to do? 
Will we withdraw from the communion of the faith- 
ful, absent ourselves from the Church and take no 
part in the ceremonies? No, there should be a differ- 
ent effect of this instruction. We will always go 
to the Holy Mountain to sacrifice to the Lord. We 
will go to be cleansed and purify ourselves in the 
blood of the Divine Host, which should be for us 
the price of eternal happiness. 



EXCELLENCE AND END FOR WHICH THE 
MASS IS OFFERED 



" And they shall offer sacrifice to the Lord in justice, and the 
sacrifice of Juda and Jerusalem shall please the Lord, as in the 
days of old, and in the ancient years." — Malachi 3 13, 4. 

A sacrifice offered in all places and at all times, 
offered from the beginning of Christianity, and which 
will be offered up to the consummation of ages; a 
sacrifice which is offered to meet our every want, 
destined to wash away every sin; a sacrifice in which 
not only the members of the Church militant partici- 
pate, but likewise the elect in Heaven by the union 
of their homage, and the sorrowing inhabitants of 
that place of trial and suffering by the assistance they 
find in it to hasten the time of their deliverance. A 
sacrifice wherein everything is holy, in Him to whom 
it is offered, in the victim who offers Himself, and in 
the end for which it is offered; and finally, a sacri- 
fice which rejects every other oblation, annuls every 
strange offering, absorbs in itself alone all merit, all 
adoration, all homage due the Supreme Being, is cer- 
tainly alone worthy of bearing the name of sacrifice, 
alone capable of producing all its effects. And these 
are only a part of the properties attributed by the 

Fathers and doctors of the Church to the sacrifice of 

33 



34 



The Meaning of the Mass 



the Mass. And the Church, in the ceremonies of the 
Mass, which I will explain in the due course of time, 
points out most clearly its advantages. We will con- 
sider these prerogatives in a general manner, in order 
that we may be able to form an idea of the greatness 
of the oblation. 

Sacrifice has always been looked upon as the prin- 
cipal duty of religion, and the most essential mark 
of the supreme homage which is due and which be- 
longs alone to the Sovereign Majesty of God. Hence 
we read in the Book of Exodus, " He who sacrifices 
to gods other than the true God shall be put to death," 
22:20. It is to God alone then that we offer the 
sacrifice of the Mass ; and to whom else would we offer 
it? The victim we offer is an eternal victim, an im- 
mortal and divine victim; in a word, we know that 
He is a God. Can we be ignorant of the fact that 
God alone is worthy of such a victim, and to offer this 
to any other, would be to dishonor, disgrace and 
profane it. 

We are accused of offering the sacrifice of the 
Mass to the Blessed Virgin, and the Saints, but in 
order to discover the fallacy of this accusation one 
has but to read the liturgies and the canon of the 
Mass. Neither in the Greek nor in the Latin Church 
has the sacrifice of the Mass ever been offered to any 
one except God alone, for in the Mass all the prayers 
are addressed to Him. We make commemoration of 
the Saints in the Mass, yes ; but there is a great differ- 



Excellence and End for Which Mass is Offered 35 

ence between this and offering the sacrifice to them. 
We make commemoration of them because God 
Himself has glorified them, but we never say, 
I sacrifice to thee, O Peter; I sacrifice to thee, 
O Paul. We make commemoration of the Saints 
in order to ask their assistance, their interces- 
sion with God. To offer the Mass to anyone but 
God would be idolatry, the crime most abominable 
in the sight of God. 

It is quite certain that in the first ages of the 
Church commemoration was made of the martyrs 
in the sacrifice of the Mass, still the sacrifice was 
never offered to them. We make commemoration of 
the Blessed Virgin and the Saints to obtain their 
intercession with God, to honor them as the princi- 
pal members of Jesus Christ, and the companions of 
His victories, to rejoice with them in their triumph, 
to give thanks to God for it, and to excite ourselves 
to imitate them. 

But now, why do we offer the sacrifice of the Mass, 
what end do we propose in so doing? The sacrifice 
of the Mass is offered for four great reasons or ends. 

The first great end of the sacrifice of the Mass is 
to adore God, and certainly there can be no higher 
honor paid to Him. Could we honor Him in a man- 
ner more worthy of Him, a manner more propor- 
tionate to His sovereign majesty? We offer Him 
a victim equal to Himself; He sees a God 
co-eternal with Himself humbled and annihilated 



36 



The Meaning of the Mass 



to honor and glorify Him, and this reason is com- 
mon to the sacrifice of the Cross and that of the altar. 
The honor which Jesus Christ pays to God is enhanced 
by circumstances peculiar to the Eucharist. If Jesus 
Christ, clothed with mortal flesh, consents to die for 
the honor and glory of God the Father, He in a cer- 
tain sense owed Him the life which He received 
from Him only on condition that it would be sacrificed 
to Him; but, having consummated His humiliation 
and sacrifice in the most perfect manner, having pur- 
chased the glory of immortality at so high a price, 
having by so many titles merited to enjoy the glory 
of the Father infinitely glorious and immortal, He 
seems to despoil Himself anew of His glory and im- 
mortality, when He conceals Himself under the 
species of corruptible matter, when He condescends 
to be present on our altar only to there renew the 
memory of His death, where this innocent lamb is 
again slain, although in a different manner — that is to 
say in an unbloody and mystic manner — where He per- 
mits His body and blood, always so closely united, to 
be represented as separate, where by virtue of the 
sacramental words, as by a sharp sword the priest of 
the sacrifice separates His body and blood under the 
different species, where He accepts, without dying, 
all the symptoms of a real death, this second anni- 
hilation is not less perfect than the first. This con- 
tinued oblation is a continual avowal of the sover- 
eignty of God's being, which answers to his great- 



Excellence and End for Which Mass is Offered 87 

ness and His eternity, since it is the humiliation and 
annihilation of a God always living and immortal, yet 
always in a condition of death before Him. 

The Mass is an Eucharistic sacrifice, that is to say, 
a sacrifice of thanksgiving offered to God to thank 
Him for His favors. Gratitude is an essential duty 
on the part of the Christian; it is not a council nor 
is it a work of supererogation, for, says St. Paul, 
" in all things give thanks, this is the will of God in 
Christ Jesus concerning you all." (Thess. 5:18.) 
And St. Augustine tells us that this duty constitutes 
the principal and most essential part of the worship 
of God, of religion and of Christian piety. It was to 
fulfill this duty that God instituted a sacrifice of 
thanksgiving for the benefits received from Him 
These sacrifices of the Old Law, as we said on a 
former occasion, were only shadows of the sacrifice 
which Christ Jesus consummated on the Cross, and 
which He continues to offer daily on our altar ; this 
august sacrifice was instituted as a testimony of our 
gratitude. The Son of God has left to His Church 
this abridgment of the wonders of love, that it might 
be for us a continual memorial of His favors, as in 
the days of old He commanded the manna to be kept 
in the ark of the covenant in order that it might recall 
to the Jews the paternal providence with which He 
fed them in the desert. And for this reason the Mass 
is called the Eucharistic sacrifice because it is a sacri- 
fice of thanksgiving. 



38 



The Meaning of the Mass 



Without this sacrifice what could we offer to God 
for all the favors He has conferred upon us? And 
especially for the supernatural and incomparable 
gift of His own and Only Son? How could we find 
a means of repaying Him for what we have received? 
He gave us a Redeemer, and that Redeemer was His 
only Son, the splendor of His glory, the figure of 
His substance, a God equal to Himself, and to repay 
this gift we should offer Him nothing less than a 
God. Jesus Christ has abundantly provided for our 
want. The Son of God who was given to us gives 
Himself for us, He places Himself in our hands in 
order that we may offer Him to the Eternal Father in 
the sacrifice of our altar, and in this way there is a 
perfect equality between the gift received and our 
gratitude for the gift. If by the Incarnation we are 
indebted for a God, we offer Him a God in return 
in the Eucharist, and if it is not possible for us to 
make a more worthy present, it is simply because 
God was not able to give us a more precious gift. 

The Mass is a sacrifice of impetration, wherein we 
offer to God what is most efficacious in moving Him 
to grant our request. What offering do we make in 
the Mass? We offer the Son who was given to us, 
and, according to St. Paul, after this gift nothing 
can be refused us: cum illo omnia nobis donavit. 
(Rom. 8:32.) 

Our prayers to be agreeable to God should be of- 
fered through Jesus Christ, and in the name of Jesus 



Excellence and End for Which Mass is Offered 89 

Christ, by whose merits they are sanctified. Christ 
as a mediator presents them to His Father, who 
receives them from Him and favorably hearkens to 
them. Where does Christ act as Mediator in a more 
special manner than in the Mass? As a priest of the 
sacrifice He acts as Mediator, and since He is a priest 
forever according to the order of Melchisedech, He 
uninterruptedly performs the functions of His priest- 
hood. In the sacrifice of our altar He daily presents 
to His Father the blood which He shed for us on the 
Cross. Placed between God and man, He bears our 
prayers heavenward and brings us graces and bene- 
dictions in return. On our altar He is as an ambas- 
sador of the high council who makes our wants known 
to God, and brings to us glad tidings of the mercies 
which are granted us in His name and through His 
merits. 

Our prayers, when joined with those of Jesus Christ, 
are not mere human prayers, they become imbued with 
the sanctity of Jesus Christ and are divine, they con- 
stitute one and the same prayer with that of Jesus 
Christ, for in the sacrifice of the Mass everything is 
common with Jesus Christ and ourselves. He offers 
Himself for us ; we offer ourselves with Him. He is 
the priest of His sacrifice; we are associated in His 
priesthood; He is the victim of the Church which is 
His body; the faithful who are its members are vic- 
tims with Him and make one and the same victim 
with Him. The prayer which He makes for us in the 



40 



The Meaning of the Mass 



oblation of His body we make with Him and through 
Him; hence it follows that whatever we ask by virtue 
of His priesthood moves the Heavenly Father and 
causes Him to grant the graces we stand in need of. 

And lastly the Mass is a sacrifice of propitiation; 
since it is the same in substance as the sacrifice of the 
Cross, it is the same blood that is offered on the altar. 
Jesus Christ appears before His Father the same as 
He did on Calvary ; He is present on our altar only to 
recall His sorrows, and to offer to his Eternal Father 
every drop of blood He shed for the reconciliation 
of sinners; it follows, therefore, that the sacrifice of 
the Mass is not inferior to the sacrifice of the Cross, 
and consequently should produce the same effects; it 
is not less efficacious to wipe away our sins and to 
purify our conscience from dead works. 

To say that the sacrifice of the Mass is not truly 
propitiatory is to say that the body and blood of Jesus 
Christ are not pleasing to the Father nor capable of 
propitiating Him in our favor. The very thought 
were blasphemy. We believe that where Jesus Christ 
is present He is the victim of propitiation for our sins : 
ipse est propitiatio pro peccatis nostris. We believe 
with St. Paul that wherever the blood of Jesus Christ 
is present it purifies our hearts from sins of which we 
are guilty. " The blood of Christ will cleanse our 
conscience from dead works. " (Hebr. 9:14.) We 
believe on the word of Christ Himself that His body 
is offered for us in the Eucharist, that the blood which 



Excellence and End for Which Mass is Offered 41 

is shed for us on our altar flows for the remission of 
our sins: "This is my blood which shall be shed for 
many for the remission of sins." are the words of 
Christ Himself. (Matt. 26:28.) 

When we say that the sacrifice of the Mass is pro- 
pitiary we do not wish to be understood as meaning 
to say that it is sufficient for us to assist at Mass to 
gain forgiveness of mortal sin; it is in the sacrament 
of penance our reconciliation is effected The effect 
of the Mass is to appease God, to obtain grace and dis- 
position necessary to receive the sacraments worthily. 
The sacrifice of the Mass reconciles us with God in 
the same manner as the sacrifice of the Cross, since 
it is the same sacrifice continued. But the sacrifice 
of the Cross, whence the sacrifice of the Mass derives 
all its efficacy, does not wash away sin, neither does 
it remit them. This takes place only by the application 
which the Sacraments make to our souls of their mer- 
its. They are like so many channels through which 
the blood of Jesus Christ, once offered on the Cross 
and is daily offered on our altar, flows in upon our 
souls. The sacrifice of the Cross is the source which 
supplies these channels; it is that never failing foun- 
tain whence the prophet Isias invites us to draw 
" Waters of the Lord with joy," haurietis aquasin 
gaudio de fontibus Salvatoris. (Is. 12:13.) 

We have already seen that the Mass is a sacrifice 
of impetration, that is to say, it is offered up to obtain 
the graces which are necessary for us, and we have 



42 The Meaning of the Mass 



a right to these graces by the merits of the sacrifice 
of the cross; they are applied to us by the sacrifice 
of the Eucharist. All the members of the Church 
militant (that is the Church on earth), no matter 
what their condition, no matter what their state in 
life, no matter what may be the nature of their obli- 
gations, can share in it; there the mind and heart 
of the faithful are filled with vivifying grace; there 
the passions are subdued; there inclinations changed 
and the desires of the heart rectified. There Jesus 
Christ makes Himself all to all, and there it is that 
as head He infuses into His members the spirit that 
animates them. 

This sacrifice is serviceable also for the souls in 
purgatory, to console them in their sufferings and to 
deliver them from their trials. 

The earliest ages of the Church furnish most de- 
cisive testimony of the custom of praying for the dead 
every time the sacrifice of the Mass was offered. 
Prayers for the dead are to be found in every liturgy, 
and St. Cyril of Jerusalem, who lived about the mid- 
dle of the fourth century, instructed the newly bap- 
tized concerning the necessity of prayer for the dead 
in the liturgy he explained for them. " We pray," 
said he, " for all those who depart this world in our 
communion," believing that their souls are greatly 
comforted by the prayers which are offered for them 
in the sacrifice of the Mass. And St. Augustine in- 
forms us that this was the custom of the Universal 



Excellence and End for Which Mass is Offered 43 

Church, and tells us, moreover, that his mother, St. 
Monica, when dying, besought him to make remem- 
brance of her whenever he was at the altar, and adds 
that before her coffin was lowered into the grave he 
offered for her the sacrifice of redemption. St. Cy- 
prian tells us that in his day and long before his time 
it was the constant practice to offer the sacrifice of the 
Mass for the faithful departed. And Turtullian, who 
lived about the end of the second century, looked upon 
prayer for the dead in the sacrifice of the Mass as a 
Divine tradition. 

The sacrifice of the Mass is then a sacrifice of expi- 
ation for the Church suffering ; that is, the faithful in 
purgatory. Deprived of the consolation of offering 
it with us, they, nevertheless, reap the benefit of this 
salutary oblation. The blood of Jesus Christ flows 
daily on the altar, and penetrates this place of pen- 
ance and at every instant souls purified by this ex- 
piatory effusion are borne to the place of their eternal 
repose. 

The sacrifice of the Mass is never offered for those 
who die in sin or enemies of God, and who are for- 
ever under the anathema of implacable wrath and ven- 
geance. " In vain," says St. Augustine, " would you 
offer for them the sacrifice which they disregarded 
during life either because they did not receive the 
grace of the Sacraments or because they received them 
unworthily, and have heaped up for themselves treas- 
ures of wrath, not of mercy." They are those of whom 



44 



The Meaning of the Mass 



it is said in the Scripture : " In whatever place they 
fall, there shall they lie." 

It is a great misfortune for the sinner to be aban- 
doned by God in this life, but there is no sinner so 
abandoned that he is utterly without resource. It 
is only in hell there is real abandonment. Divine 
mercy is refused only to those already damned; there 
is always hope for the sinner except in hell. No 
longer is there a victim of propitiation, no longer an 
agreeable and profitable sacrifice for the damned, for 
them there is neither comfort nor consolation. Christ 
Jesus is no longer their Savior. 

Let us then ask of God these infinite mercies, fre- 
quently offer to Him the sacrifice of the Mass, and in 
so doing let us say : Regard, O Lord, the merit of Thy 
Son, look down upon Thy Christ humbled and an- 
nihilated; He pleads for grace for us. Mingle the 
tears of our contrition with His blood, our penance 
with His penance, in view of the adorable sacrifice 
He will grant the pardon of our sins; He will confer 
His grace upon us and enable us to merit life eternal. 



OBLIGATION AND MANNER OF HEARING 

MASS 



"Do this for a commemoration of me." — Luke 22: 19. 

It is our interest, as well as the duty of our re- 
ligion, and our gratitude to assist at Mass as fre- 
quently as possible, since we there find the source of 
those graces which are so necessary to enable us to 
lead a Christian life here on earth; it is by so doing 
that we render to the Lord that perfect homage of 
which we ourselves are absolutely incapable ; and since 
without it we can never adequately compensate our 
Heavenly Father for all the favors He has conferred 
upon us and which he incessantly confers upon us 
daily. All Christians are, in a certain sense, ministers 
of the Most High constituted to offer to Him through 
the hands of the priests the most excellent of all sac- 
rifices by joining their intentions, their desires with 
those of the Church; and the Apostle St. Peter as- 
sures us of this quality when he says to all the faith- 
ful of the new dispensation, " You are a chosen peo- 
ple, you are the order of the royal priesthood, the holy 
nation, the purchased people." It is to you, then, 
that Jesus Christ says to-day, although in a somewhat 

different sense : " Do this for a commemoration of me." 

45 



46 



The Meaning of the Mass 



Our instruction will be on the great duty of 
our religion; having explained in former instructions 
the nature and excellence of the sacrifice of the Mass, 
I will endeavor to point out to you with what 
zeal and assiduity we should be present at Mass, and 
what sentiments of piety should animate us during 
this holy action. It is a fact beyond all doubt that 
the faithful who have arrived at the age of reason 
are obliged by the precept of the Church to hear Mass 
on all Sundays and holy days, although we cannot 
point out the precise origin of this precept, which be- 
gan to be observed in the days of the Apostles; for 
the faithful assembled the first day of the week, which 
is the Sunday, to celebrate the sacred mysteries as 
we learn from the twentieth chapter of the Acts of 
the Apostles, and from the testimony of the Fathers of 
the first ages. St. Leo tells us that it was customary 
to celebrate Mass many times on the greater festivals 
because the people could not all assist at the one Mass, 
as the Church was not large enough to accommodate 
them. St. Caesar of Aries very strongly reprimands 
those who do not wait until the end of Mass on Sun- 
days and who go away before the priest gives the 
benediction. The Council of Adge, in the year 506, 
formulated a canon expressly to correct this bad prac- 
tice. The Church has particularly commanded the 
faithful to hear Mass on Sunday and on holy days 
which should be kept as Sundays, because it is the 
most holy and the most useful action that we can per- 



Obligation and Manner of Hearing Mass 47 

form on those days that are consecrated to the service 
of God. As that precept regards the worship of God 
there is no room to doubt that they who have arrived 
at the age of reason commit mortal sin when being 
able to assist at Mass on Sundays and holy days fail 
to do so. Two causes, however, dispense from this 
obligation — the first is the physical and absolute impos- 
sibility of being present. As is the case with pris- 
oners, those who are sick, and upon the sea, and those 
who are obliged to travel through countries or places 
where there is no Mass said on those days. The sec- 
ond is the moral impossibility of being present. This 
happens in the case of those who are recovering from 
sickness, and who would suffer considerably by going 
to Mass on account of weakness, and being at a great 
distance from the Church, women bearing children 
and who are approaching the time of confinement, 
those who cannot go to Mass without running the risk 
of meeting with considerable loss or causing a loss 
to others, those who are taking care of the sick, or 
young children. The Church, a kind and indulgent 
mother, does not intend to oblige her children to obey 
her law when there is question of any grave difficulty 
or peril in executing what she commands ; but in this 
matter we must be careful not to flatter ourselves, and 
to imagine difficulty and danger where none exists; 
we may excuse ourselves, but God will not take the 
excuse from us. 

As regards the other days of the week, although 



48 



The Meaning of the Mass 



we are not obliged, nevertheless, it is very useful for 
us to assist at Mass as often as we can, and this for 
two very strong reasons: First, because by this one 
act of piety we acquit ourselves of our whole duty 
towards God ; and, second, no matter what else we 
may do, there is nothing pleasing to God only in as 
much as it relates to that sacrifice. When we assist at 
Mass properly we acquit ourselves of our whole duty 
towards God. 

What is our duty towards God ? To adore Him, to 
pay Him sovereign homage by consecrating ourselves 
to Him through love. Now it is by the sacrifice of 
the Mass that we can perform this duty, since, as 
spiritual priests, you offer Him a victim worthy of 
Him, and since, by uniting yourselves to Jesus Christ 
in perfect love, you offer to God in the most perfect 
manner, all the worship which rational creatures can 
pay him ; and since by this consecration you give your- 
selves to Him and by this oblation you pay all the 
debt you owe. 

Since by sin we become the object of God's wrath, 
the misery to which we were reduced obliges us to 
appease Him by repairing the injury done His infinite 
majesty. And where can we perform this duty bet- 
ter than when the truly propitiatory sacrifice is of- 
fered, that sacrifice by which Jesus Christ continues to 
offer His humiliations to His Father, His blood, His 
death, for the expiation of our sins; where He inces- 
santly intercedes for us and pleads our causes? Is 



Obligation and Manner of Hearing Mass 49 

there any other means of obtaining pardon without 
the sacrifice of Jesus Christ ? Our penance, our satis- 
faction could never please God sufficiently and we 
would still remain covered with our sins. Are we not 
obliged to acknowledge our want and misery, do we 
not feel at every moment the necessity of the assist- 
ance of His grace, either to avoid temptation, which 
leads us to evil, or to do good? How are we going 
to perform this duty except by the sacrifice of the 
Mass; since our prayers cannot go directly to God, 
because they must pass through the mediation of Jesus 
Christ, who as priest of the sacrifice should present 
them to His Father, and by the virtue and merit of 
His sacrifice make them efficacious for us. Every 
grace that we can ask is beyond doubt the price of 
His blood. Lastly, we should give thanks always 
for the gifts we have received, and which we receive 
at every moment from His goodness. Without the 
sacrifice of the Mass we cannot fulfill this obligation 
that our gratitude can equal the gift received; it is 
only by this sacrifice that we can return in proportion 
to what we have received. 

These so important and essential duties, which are 
the foundation of the precept of the Church which 
oblige us to hear Mass on Sundays and holy days, 
are our ordinary daily duties, and consequently we 
should endeavor to assist at Mass every day. What 
eagerness did not the first Christians show in this 
regard ! Nothing could prevent them ; they left every- 



50 



The Meaning of the Mass 



thing to profit of this great favor: the edicts of em- 
perors, the fury of persecution, danger of life, threats 
of torture, distance of place or difficulty of assem- 
bling; nothing could dampen the ardor of their zeal. 
At the present day what lukewarmness, what indiffer- 
ence! We can scarcely find time to assist at Mass 
on the days commanded. Do you not neglect your 
business for many other useless affairs, for many af- 
fairs detrimental to your salvation ? The glory of God 
is of very little interest to some people now-a-days, 
and do we not every day require the gift of Heaven? 
And where can w T e ask for it more efficaciously, and 
where will we obtain it more surely than in the sacrifice 
of the Mass? You may say, perhaps, that you per- 
form many other good works, that you offer all your 
actions of God. Very well, but bear in mind that more 
of your actions are pleasing to God only in as much as 
they relate to the sacrifice of the Mass, and why? Be- 
cause, since we have been corrupted by sin, we are 
no longer worthy of approaching God ourselves, and 
we have nothing to offer Him capable of honoring 
Him. He receives nothing from us except that which 
is presented conjointly with the offering which His 
Son, Our Mediator, makes to Him, and as in our pil- 
grimage here below we have only the Mass wherein 
Jesus Christ Himself makes the oblation, it is in this 
sacrifice that we should join all our prayers so that by 
this union they may be made pleasing to God in Jesus 
Christ and through Jesus Christ. 



Obligation and Maimer of Hearing Mass 51 

In order to fulfill the precept of hearing Mass, it 
will not suffice to hear a part of the Mass; we must 
hear all the Mass ; it will not suffice to hear part of a 
Mass said by one priest and part of a Mass said by 
another priest; we must assist at the one sacrifice en- 
tirely. When I say entirely I do not intend this word 
to be taken in the strictest sense; a person who is not 
present at the introit does not fail to hear Mass, but 
any one who comes in after the Gospel has been said 
does not hear Mass. We must, however, not con- 
sider ourselves free from sin if we come in just at 
the Gospel, and in order to be free from reproach 
we should endeavor to be present at the commence- 
ment of Mass. 

If we wish to assist at Mass in a manner becoming 
a Christian, we should do so with attention, with de- 
votion and modesty which so holy an action requires. 
But, unfortunately, instead of assisting at Mass with 
a lively faith, with a firm hope, and ardent love for 
Jesus Christ, who sacrifices Himself for us, we appear 
there but too often with a mind filled with profane 
ideas, we grow weary after a short while, we freely 
give way to distraction, we allow our eyes and our 
hearts to wander on every sort of objects; many can 
hardly bring themselves to bend their knees, and the 
great majority content themselves with reciting a few 
prayers without ever thinking of the great mystery 
of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, His passion and death, 
which are renewed and represented on the altar. Can 



52 



The Meaning of the Mass 



we hear Mass in that manner? Should I not rather 
say that less sin would be committed if such remained 
away entirely rather than assist without piety or at- 
tention. How should we occupy the time of Mass? 
In fulfilling our duty towards God, in making known 
to Him our wants, in adoring Him and thanking Him 
for all His favors. 

If we wish to honor God by the sacrifice of the 
Mass, to honor Him as He should be honored and He 
expects to be honored by us, we should unite ourselves 
with Jesus Christ, prostrate ourselves with Him before 
the Divine Majesty and humbly confess our want. 
Like unto Jesus Christ, obedient to the voice of His 
ministers, let us prove His power by our unreserved 
obedience. Like Jesus Christ, immolated, let us im- 
molate ourselves, if not by a true death, at least by 
a spiritual and by a total destruction of the inordi- 
nate desires of lust. Powerless as we are to acknowl- 
edge the graces of the Lord in a worthy manner, let 
us turn to the sacrifice of the altar. Jesus Christ is 
present, He gives Himself to us to be offered by our 
hands to His Father; let us offer Him and offer our- 
selves with Him, and we will accomplish all our duty 
of gratitude. The time of Mass is the proper time to 
negotiate with God, the proper time to gain His gifts ; 
whether we ask for conversion or a pardon of the 
most enormous crimes, or whether we ask for perse- 
verance, whether we ask for some other temporal or 
spiritual favor, the most appropriate and at the same 



Obligation and Manner of Hearing Mass 53 

time the most favorable time is the time of Mass. 
Ask, then, for what we want, ask it with confidence 
in the name and by the merits of Jesus Christ, and 
God the Father will lend an attentive ear to our 
prayer and grant our requests. 



PUBLIC PREPARATION FOR MASS 



" By faith Abel offered to God a sacrifice exceeding that of 
Cain, by which he obtained a testimony that he was just, God 
giving testimony to his gifts, and by it he being dead, yet 
speaketh," — Heb. 11:4. 

The letter of the law separated from the spirit 
brings death to him who practices it. The sacred 
Scripture furnishes us with a most striking example 
of the truth of this assertion, in the person of Cain, 
and experience confirms it in the conduct of a large 
majority of Christians who assist at the sacrifice of 
the altar. Cain, the prince of murderers, offered the 
sacrifice prescribed of the natural law; he offered that 
which seemed to him best fitting for the holocaust, 
the best fruits of the trees he cultivated, and out- 
wardly acquitted himself of his duty towards His Cre- 
ator. When we consider him in the performance of 
this religious exercise, it is almost impossible for us 
not to look upon him as a faithful worshiper. But 
his heart robbed his sacrifice of its worth and value, 
because it was not right before God, and because, 
unlike his brother Abel, he walked not in the path of 
innocence and simplicity. 

During the time of Mass there are many in the 

Church who are just like Cain. They never neglect 

54 



Public Preparation for Mass 55 

the duty imposed upon them by the Church; they 
always are present at Mass, and although a great 
many add a marked indevotion to an affected negli- 
gence, yet many act like true worshipers. Are they 
ever animated by a pure faith, a lively and active 
faith, a firm and tried faith? Does it sanctify their 
offering or consecrate their oblation? Are they ac- 
tuated by that spirit which should dispose their soul 
for prayer ? Do they prepare themselves for the most 
holy act which religion prescribes? It would be very 
difficult to think so, for the greater number. For 
even among those who consider it a duty to unite 
themselves in spirit with the sacrifice of the Mass, 
there are a great many ignorant of the manner in 
which they should hear Mass properly, and in what 
consists the preparation that should be made for so 
holy an act. 

The Mass is the sacrifice of the people as well as 
the sacrifice of the priest. The people, then, should 
have the same intention when assisting at and offer- 
ing it through the hands of the priest, as the priest him- 
self. The Mass is offered for four great ends : To honor 
God and to pay Him the sovereign homage which is 
His due; to thank Him for His favors; to ask par- 
don for our sins, and obtain graces necessary for the 
living and the dead. And the Church on earth unites 
with the Church in Heaven to perform these duties 
with Jesus Christ and through Jesus Christ. Those 
who assist at Mass should have these intentions. I 



56 



The Meaning of the Mass 



admit that if we assist at Mass with respect and faith, 
and have a general intention of joining with the priest 
in offering the sacrifice through his hands for all the 
ends for which the Church offers it ; to ask Almighty 
God for all that which the priest asks for at the altar 
is, absolutely speaking, quite sufficient. If such be our 
intention, all our prayers made with faith are good 
and useful and we derive a benefit from assisting at 
Mass. But it is much better and more conformable 
to the spirit of the Church, to follow the priest en- 
tirely in all the prayers he recites; to unite ourselves 
with him not only in a general kind of a way, but 
still more in a particular manner in all his prayers 
and ceremonies. In this manner w T e enter into the 
spirit of the sacrifice, the prayers and ceremonies of 
the Mass, for everything is common to the priest and 
people. The people make the general confession with 
the priest, the people sing the Introit, Kyrie Elei- 
son, Gloria, Gradual, Credo, Offertory, Sanctus, 
Agnus Dei and the thanksgiving after commun- 
ion. The people answer Amen to all the prayers 
of the priest, which supposes them to be attentive to 
the prayers. The Epistle and Gospel are read for the 
instruction of the people, who stand during the Gos- 
pel as a mark of their attention. And in the act of the 
sacrifice it would appear from the prayers that the 
people should offer it conjointly with the priest, and 
it is for this reason that the priest raises his voice 
when finishing the canon, and the other parts which 



Public Preparation for Mass 57 

he recites in a low voice, so that the people by an- 
swering Amen may publicly testify that they join 
in all the prayers. If we do not follow the priest in 
everything we do not of course enter into the spirit of 
the sacrifice. 

The sacrifice of the Mass is so grand, so august, 
the victim offered is so pure and holy, we should al- 
ways prepare ourselves for assisting thereat. How- 
ever holy may be the preparation which the priest 
makes in private when he puts on the sacred vest- 
ments, when at the foot of the altar he acknowledges 
himself filled with miseries and that he requires a 
special grace from God to offer so holy and divine 
a host as the adorable body of Jesus Christ. Such 
are his sentiments as he stands at the foot of the altar, 
where he prepares himself to ask for grace to ascend 
the altar in a holy manner. The people, who as a gen^ 
eral thing make no special preparation before coming 
to Mass, should be present at the public preparation 
which is common with them and the priest and which 
is so proper to gain for them the grace to share in 
the fruit of the sacrifice. 

At the foot of the altar the priest makes the sign 
of the Cross, and every Christian should do the same 
at the beginning of all his actions to invoke the help 
of God in all his wants. This sign is made in the 
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the 
Holy Ghost. In the name of the Father, who sent 
us His Son to be sacrificed and who gave us a right 



58 



The Meaning of the Mass 



to offer Him as ministers, being one and the same 
fruit with Him. In the name of the Son, who is given 
to be immolated and who has associated us with His 
priesthood. In the name of the Holy Ghost, by whom 
it is offered and by whose virtue and sanctity we have 
a right to this holy victim. In the name of the 
Father, by whose authority we sacrifice His Son. In 
the name of the Son, in whose person we sacrifice 
Him. In the name of the Holy Ghost, in virtue of 
whom we enjoy the privilege. In the name of the 
Father, to whom we offer the sacrifice. In the name 
of the Son, whom we offer in the sacrifice. In the 
name of the Holy Ghost, by whom we offer the sacri- 
fice. 

After the priest has made the sign of the Cross 
he recites alternately with the people (who are repre- 
sented by those who serve Mass), the Forty-second 
Psalm to mutually excite themselves to approach with 
confidence and joy to the altar where the sacrifice is to 
be offered. This psalm was composed by David dur- 
ing the time he was being persecuted by Saul and 
forced to live in exile, in the hope of one day return- 
ing to Jerusalem and presenting himself at the altar 
of God, there to offer sacrifice. The application of this 
psalm is quite natural and may be readily seen. We 
are exiles from Heaven, our only true home ; we should 
then animate and console ourselves with the thought 
of one day thereat. The altar is a figure of heaven, 
we should approach it with confidence and a holy joy, 



Public Preparation for Mass 59 

the priest commences the psalm by a verse which he 
repeats at the end: Introibo ad altar e Dei, I will ap- 
proach unto the altar of God, and the people answer, 
To the God who filled my youth with joy ; he then says 
alternately with the people the psalm Judica me, Dens, 
Judge me, O God, because, as I have already said, the 
people as well as the priest should excite themselves 
to approach the holy altar with sentiments of faith, 
confidence and joy, there to offer the sacrifice through 
the hands of the priest. This psalm is not said in 
masses for the dead nor during Passion Tide, because 
on these occasions the Church refrains from every- 
thing joyous in her public offices, and this psalm, as I 
have already said, is one of joy. 

After reciting this psalm, the priest and people make 
a general confession to God, to ask His mercy; the 
people by the prayers of the priest and the priest by 
the prayers of the people. This confession is neces- 
sary to prepare ourselves for the sacrifice of the new 
law, and was required by God Himself for all the sac- 
rifices of the old law. When the high priest offered 
the emissary goat for the sins of the people, he made 
a general confession at the same time, as we learn 
from the Book of Leviticus, where we read 16 : 20, 21 : 
" After he hath cleansed the sanctuary, and the tab- 
ernacle, and the altar, then let him offer the living 
goat, and putting both hands upon his head, let him 
confess the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all 
their offenses and sins." 



60 



The Meaning of the Mass 



When the confession is made at the foot of the altar, 
it is made to God, to the Blessed Virgin Mary, to St. 
Michael, to St. Peter, Paul, to all the Saints, and to 
the priest who is the spiritual father of the congrega- 
tion, to testify in the presence of God, of the Saints of 
the Church in Heaven and on earth, that we are guilty 
of many sins. We make the confession to God who 
is offended, to the Saints who will be present at the 
judgment on the last day with Jesus Christ. We ask 
the Church in Heaven and on earth to implore God's 
mercy for us and among the Saints we name those 
whom the Church looks upon as our principal protect- 
ors after Jesus Christ. When we make the confession 
we strike the breast in imitation of the publican at 
the door of the temple who obtained mercy by ac- 
knowledging himself a sinner and struck his breast as 
a sign of contrition. 

After the general confession the priest alternately 
with the people recites those prayers taken from the 
Scripture to ask God for the remission of sin and 
grace to be sufficiently pure to offer the sacrifice 
worthily. 

He then goes up to the altar and prays in a low 
voice to invoke in a special manner the prayers of the 
Saints, whose relics are upon the altar. The people 
should say the same prayers at the time with the priest ; 
this is the intention and the spirit of the Church and it 
is for this reason that the priest before reciting them in 
a low voice says in a loud tone of voice, Oremus, that 



Public Preparation for Mass 61 

is, let us pray, in order to excite the people to pray 
with him and in the same manner as he does. 

The words Dominus vobiscum, that is, the Lord be 
with you, are to be found in many places of the Old 
Testament, and the answer, et cum spiritu tuo, or 
" and with thy spirit," seem to be taken from St. Paul, 
who, when writing to Timothy, said : " May the Lord 
Jesus Christ be with thy spirit." Before reciting any 
of the prayers the priest and people should mutually 
wish that the Lord would fill their minds, because it 
is the Holy Spirit who prays on us. When the priest 
ascends the altar he kisses it, and does so every time 
that he either leaves or returns to it, in order to show 
his respect and love. The priest kisses the altar as the 
place whereon our Lord was crucified, for what is 
the altar but the seat of the body and blood of Jesus 
Christ? and according to St. Ambrose the altar is the 
form or figure of the body of Jesus Christ, on which 
He sacrificed Himself and offered Himself in His 
body. 

In solemn Masses the priest then incenses the altar, 
and during this time we should raise our hearts to God 
and redouble the fervor of our prayers. 

The use of incense in the public service of the Church 
is of ancient origin. True, during the first three cen- 
turies, it was never used, because during that time it 
was much profaned in the service of idols, and the 
Church thought proper not to use it in the worship of 
the true God, but as soon as the meetings of the faith- 



62 



The Meaning of the Mass 



ful were free from all idolatrous perfumes, the Church 
began to use it in her solemnities. The custom became 
quite general about the fourth century, as we learn 
from the Apostolic canons. 

The use of incense in the Church was not intended, 
as some falsely assert, to expel any unpleasant odors. 
Nor was it necessary when the faithful assembled dur- 
ing the time of persecution in subterranean caves. It 
was only after the restoration of peace to the Church 
that it began to be used, and Churches of that period 
were spacious and well aired. The Church had a 
higher, a more spiritual, a more mysterious view. In- 
cense was a symbol or sign used in the Church to repre- 
sent important truths which are expressed by these 
religious ceremonies. Incense is blessed to teach us 
that nothing profane should be used in the service of 
Almighty God, and that we ourselves are unworthy 
of participating in it if we do not by our prayers bring 
upon ourselves His benediction, which render us 
worthy of honoring Him. Incense is offered to God 
to render Him homage as our Sovereign, and to testify 
our wish that our prayers may ascend to Him as an 
agreeable odor. In burning incense on the altar we 
show that in the holy place creatures should be con- 
sumed for His service and glory. Hence Christians 
formerly said the same prayer which the priest says 
at the present day : " May the Lord enkindle in us the 
fire of His love and the flame of eternal charity." In- 
cense has always been taken as an expression of the 



Public Preparation for Mass 63 

prayers we offer to God and of our desires that they 
would ascend to Him as a sweet perfume; it is looked 
upon as a figure of our interior dispositions, and this 
is what the priest experiences when he says, " Let 
my prayers ascend to Thee, O Lord, as a sweet 
incense." 

Incense is the best symbol that could represent what 
our prayers should be; incense ascends only by the 
activity which is given to it by fire, and our prayers, 
which in reality are only the desires of our hearts, can- 
not reach God unless they are animated by the fire of 
divine love. And if the incense is a symbol of our 
prayers, it is still more expressive of those of the 
Saints which in the Scriptures are represented as a 
perfume offered to God. " And when He had opened 
the book, the four living creatures and the four and 
twenty ancients fell down before the Lamb, having 
every one of them harps and golden vials full of odors, 
which are the prayers of the Saints." (Apoc. 5 :8.) 

In solemn Masses the Cross and the altar are in- 
censed. The Book of Gospels is incensed as a mark of 
respect we should have for the Word of God, and the 
good odor which is diffused by those who practice this 
word. We incense the offering which is made to God 
to supplicate Him to receive them, and the people are 
incensed to admonish them to raise their hearts to God 
by the fervor of their prayers. This honor shown to 
them is only relative, that is to say, it should revert to 
Him who alone deserves honor, empire and glory. 



64 



The Meaning of the Mass 



And woe to him who would attribute it to himself 
as something that belongs to him. 

The incense is used at the time when the faithful 
should renew the attention and fervor of their pray- 
ers. At Mass after the offertory, which is the com- 
mencement of the sacrifice, and at Vespers during the 
Magnificat, which immediately precedes the prayer 
called the Collect, a prayer which the Church before 
ending the office addresses the wants and desires of 
the faithful to God. 

We incense the relics of the Saints, the dead bodies 
and the tombs of the faithful. We incense the relics, 
that is to say, the precious remains of the bodies of 
the Saints, to testify that the good odor of Jesus Christ 
which was diffused by them during life, still continues 
after their death. From the commencement of the 
Church God has shown in a miraculous manner that 
the bodies of the Saints possess an agreeable odor. We 
read in history that the body of St. Polycarp, martyr, 
bishop of Smyrna and disciple of St. John, gave forth 
an agreeable odor equal to that of the most costly in- 
cense, at the time he was put to death, and was felt 
by all who approached the place of execution. We in- 
cense the dead bodies of the faithful to testify that their 
memory is in good odor in the Church and that the 
Church offers her prayers for them as well as for the 
living. 

Thus it is that the Church by her holy and ntysteri- 
ous ceremonies endeavors to raise our minds to God 



Public Preparation for Mass 65 

by things sensible and external, because, being made up 
of body and soul, we require things sensible to raise 
us up to things spiritual, but if we assist at these cere- 
monies without knowing their meaning, or the end for 
which they were instituted, it is for us a great misfor- 
tune. We should then remember the preparation we 
should make when we assist at the sacrifice of the 
Mass, and this preparation consists principally in unit- 
ing our intention with the intention of the priest, and 
to purify ourselves by a general confession of all our 
sins. If we assist at Mass with these sentiments of 
faith, of piety and contrition it will be for us a source 
of grace and benediction for time and happy eternity. 



FROM THE INTROIT TO THE GOSPEL 



" Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak." — Psalms 6 13. 

These words, " have mercy/' are very often used in 
the Scriptures, and there is no sentiment more natural 
to one who knows his own weakness and has even a 
faint idea of God's mercy. The Church uses them very 
often in her prayers; it is one of the first which she 
addresses to God before offering the holy sacrifice, and 
these words have become so familiar, that at the least 
approach of danger, we naturally exclaim : Lord, have 
mercy on me ; but if we pronounce these words without 
the sentiments which should accompany them they will 
be of no use or benefit to us. God Himself has de- 
clared this by the mouth of His prophet, Isias : " Thus 
saith the Lord, upon whom shall I look with compas- 
sion and mercy. Upon him alone who knows his 
wants, considers himself truly poor without my assist- 
ance. Upon him who, knowing his faults, is filled 
with shame, and whose heart is broken by contrition; 
upon him who, attentive to the consideration of my 
judgments and my justice, will be penetrated with the 
salutary fear which my word inspires." If we were to 
examine our hearts concerning the dispositions which 
up to the present have always accompanied this prayer, 
what answer would they give? We have often said 

66 



From the Introit to the Gospel 67 

with the priest or chanted with the choir: Kyrie Elei- 
son, that is, Lord have mercy on us; but inattentive 
to the meaning of these words, we have, perhaps, re- 
cited in a cold and heartless manner the prayer best 
calculated to inspire us with sentiments of compunction 
and sorrow. 

We will endeavor to learn something concerning 
the antiquity of this prayer and the reason why the 
Church asks us to recite it in the Mass. 

This part of the Mass requires our earnest attention 
and is composed principally of the Introit, the Kyrie 
Eleison, the Gloria in Excelsis, the Collect, the Epistle 
and the Gradual. The beginning of the Mass is called 
the Introit or the entrance, because the choir sing the 
Introit as the priest ascends to the altar; it is the en- 
trance of the priest and the people, and the introduction 
to the prayers of the Mass. The Introit is generally 
composed of two or three verses taken from the 
psalms, or other parts of the Scripture, in order to ob- 
tain from the Holy Ghost the grace of prayer so neces- 
sary for the Mass. During the Introit the mind and 
hearts of the faithful should be filled with holy desires 
to dispose themselves for the celebration of the divine 
mysteries. The Gloria Patri, or Glory be to the 
Father, is said at the Introit, because there could be 
no better commencement for the Mass than to praise 
the Blessed Trinity to whom the sacrifice is offered. 

The words Kyrie EAe^ow, Christe EAe^o-wv, are Greek 
words, which mean, Lord, have mercy on us, Christ 



68 



The Meaning of the Mass 



have mercy on us. The custom of reciting this prayer 
in Greek and not in Latin is very ancient, in fact, its 
origin is lost in antiquity. Following a custom which 
comes down from the days of the Apostles, the Church 
uses some Hebrew words in the prayers of Mass. The 
word Amen is a Hebrew word, meaning let it be so. 
Alleluia is another Hebrew word, which means praise 
God. Hosanna is also Hebrew and means Glory to 
God and Sabaoth, which in English means the God of 
armies. The Church makes use of these Greek and 
Hebrew words to show the unity of the Church, not- 
withstanding the diversity of languages. The Kyrie 
Eleison or Christe Eleison is said nine times, in imi- 
tation of the chant of the Angels, who are composed of 
nine choirs, and address the prayer three times to the 
Father, three times to the Son, and three times to the 
Holy Ghost, to adore equally each of the three persons 
of the Blessed Trinity. 

The prayer, Kyrie Eleison, which is the beginning 
of the supplication of the Mass, is the most ancient, 
the most common among nations, and the most fre- 
quently repeated in the Gospel. All Christians should 
be eager to unite their voices and say to God with the 
most lively sentiments of a contrite heart : " Lord, 
have mercy on us." We cannot repeat this prayer too 
often, both on account of the multitude of our sins 
and the great mercy we expect from God's goodness. 
We should ask this grace in the same manner as did 
the blind man of Jericho, with the perseverance of the 



From the Introit to the Gospel 69 

Canaanite woman, with the humility of the ten lepers, 
with the eagerness of the many persons who were 
heard when they persisted in crying out, " Lord, have 
mercy on us." 

The Gloria in Excelsis is a hymn, the first w^ord. * 
which were composed by the angels and by them taugtu 
to mankind; the remainder was added by the Church. 
The Greeks call this the grand doxology, in contra- 
distinction to the minor doxology, which is the 
Gloria Patri. The early Christians recited this hymn 
in their private as well as their public prayers. This 
hymn was sung by the early Christians in honor of 
God and of Jesus Christ, as is mentioned by many of 
the most ancient writers. Toward the end of the sec- 
ond century it was chanted to refute the heresy of 
Artemon, who attacked the divinity of Jesus Christ; 
this hymn has been recited in the Church from time 
immemorial. 

As this hymn is a canticle of joy and solemnity, it 
is not said in Masses for the dead, nor on vigils, nor 
on Sundays from Septuagesima to Easter, nor during 
Advent. At all other Masses, after the faithful 
have implored God's mercy, they are reminded of what 
God the Father did for man in sending His only be- 
gotten Son on earth for our redemption; they praise 
Him, they thank and implore Him through Jesus Christ 
to be favorable to them; and it is for this reason that 
the Gloria in Excelsis is sung or recited. 

Gloria in Excelsis Deo, that is, " Glory to God in 



70 



The Meaning of the Mass 



the Highest." When we glorify anyone, it is because 
we have a high idea of that person and wish to publish 
that idea by giving him the praise he merits for some 
special act. The Incarnation of Jesus Christ affords 
blessed spirits an infinitude of reasons for praising 
^rod, and a new means of adoring Him as He deserves. 
They celebrate His praises at the time of the birth of 
Jesus Christ, on account of the great wonders which 
God worked through this mystery, and because from 
that time there appeared on earth a worshiper worthy 
of God ; for what greater glory could be given to God 
than the adoration of a God clothed in humanity, and 
who should one day become a living victim, always 
holy, and always agreeable to God. " Et in terra pax 
hominibus," — and peace on earth to men. Jesus Christ 
who renders the glory which is due to His Father, 
brings peace to us, pacifying by His blood all that is 
in Heaven and on earth; but to whom is this peace 
given ? To men of good will, who are loved and cher- 
ished of God, that is to say, who love Him and who are 
subject to Him through love. Laudamus te, we praise 
thee, to praise, that is, to proclaim the good deeds we 
know of any one, to publish his virtues and good quali- 
ties. We can praise God only imperfectly, because He 
is infinitely above all that we can either think or say; 
nevertheless, we should praise Him as far as we are 
able, and say, We praise Thee, O Lord, as the in- 
exhaustible source of our admiration. Benedicimus 
te — We bless Thee as the source of our benefac- 



From the Introit to the Gospel 71 

tion, and with a heart full of gratitude. Adoramus 
te — we adore Thee as our Creator, our Protector, 
our Sovereign good, and our last end. Glorifica- 
mus te — we glorify Thee; we wish to consecrate all 
our thoughts, words, and actions to Thy honor and 
glory; we wish to employ our whole being in 
Thy service, since it is from Thee that we have 
received all that we have. Gratias agimus tibi prop- 
ter magnam gloriam tuam — we thank Thee for 
Thy great glory, that glory which shines forth so 
admirably in the union of the divine with the human 
nature; the masterpiece of the power, wisdom, and 
goodness of God. Domine Deus, Rex coelestis, Deus 
Pater Omnipotens — O Lord God, King of Heaven; 
God the Father Almighty! All the preceding words 
are addressed to the three divine persons who are 
afterwards invoked separately. We always com- 
mence with the Father, God Almighty. Domine, 
Fili unigenite, Thou who art our Lord, the only be- 
gotten Son of the Father, He in whom He is well 
pleased. 

When the Church speaks of this divine Son, who is 
her spouse, she cannot end abruptly with all she 
wishes to say. Her delight is to be with Him and 
make known to Him all her wants with a loving and 
tender confidence. All these expressions mark her 
love, and reawaken new motive for gaining the sal- 
vation she desires. Jesu Christe, Thou who art our 
Savior, the anointed by excellence. Domine Deus, 



72 The Meaning of the Mass 

Lord who art God, and consequently can do what 
Thou wiliest. Agnus Dei, Thou who art the Lamb of 
God, the only victim agreeable to God ; the Lamb slain 
from the beginning of the world; the Lamb who, by 
His blood, conquered the earth; the Lamb to whom 
all creatures cry out: Benediction, honor, and praise 
to Him who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb. 
. . . Filius Patris, Son of the Father, why this again ? 
Because Jesus Christ, taking a new life by His res- 
urrection; because, in a still more particular manner, 
the Son of the Father who glorifies Him as the eter- 
nal Pontiff. Qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. 
Thou who takest away the sins of the world, have 
mercy on us. Qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipe depre- 
cationem nostram. Thou who takest away the sins 
of the world, hear our humble prayer. The faithful, 
by the exceeding great charity of the Savior who takes 
upon Himself the sins of the world in order to share 
in the infinite love, should say : Thou who hast taken 
upon Thyself to expiate the sins of the world, hear 
the prayer we make to Thee, asking Thee to expiate 
ours. Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, miserere nobis, 
Thou who sittest at the right hand of the Father, have 
mercy on us; Thou who hast already redeemed us, 
Thou who enjoyest the reward of this redemption, 
being seated at the right hand of the Father, make 
us feel the effects of Thy mercy and power. Quoniam 
tu solus sanctus. Because Thou alone art holy, the 
only holy Pontiff, stainless, separated from sinners, 



From the Introit to the Gospel 73 

higher than the heavens, who, consequently, art not 
obliged to offer victims for Thyself before offering 
for the people, as does the priest who represents Thee 
at the altar. . . . Tu solus Dominus, Thou alone 
art the Lord by nature and acquisition, having re- 
deemed us by Thy blood. Tu solus Altissimus, Jesu 
Christi, the only Most High, equal to God, with the 
Holy Ghost, in the glory of the Father. Cum Sancto 
Spiritu, in gloria Dei Patris, Amen. 

After the Gloria in Excelsis the priest kisses the 
altar, and, turning towards the people, wishes them 
the graces and benedictions of Heaven, and imparts 
peace to the congregation. From whom has he re- 
ceived it himself? From Jesus Christ, who is Himself 
the altar of his sacrifice, in whom alone all nations have 
been blessed, and who alone, by virtue of His blood, 
brought peace to Heaven and earth. The priest kisses 
the middle of the altar, because there is placed the 
consecrated stone, which represents Jesus Christ in 
a more particular manner, He being the corner-stone 
of the Church. 

The priest turns towards the people, because it is 
quite natural to turn towards those to whom we wish 
to speak or those whom we wish to salute, and says 
" Dominus vobiscum " — the Lord be with you — and 
after the people, represented by the choir or the altar 
boys, have answered " Et cum spiritu tuo " — and with 
thy spirit — the priest, going towards the Book, then 
turning his eyes to the crucifix and raising his hands, 



74 



The Meaning of the Mass 



says : " Oremus " — let us pray — to show that he 
raises his soul to God, and when he raises his eyes 
and his hands he invites the people to follow his exam- 
ple and raise their hearts to God. 

The prayer which the priest recites is called a Col- 
lect, because it is made for the congregation and is a 
summary of what he should ask of God. In ancient 
times, when the priest said " Oremus," the congrega- 
tion prayed for some time in silence, and the priest, 
after this silence, collecting, so to speak, all the desires 
of the people, said the prayer which, on this account, 
is called the Collect. We have still a vestige "of this 
custom in Masses said on fast days. On those days, 
when the priest has said " Oremus," the deacon says 
" Flectamus genua " — let us kneel — and, after a 
pause, " Levate," which means rise up. 

When the priest says the Collect and the greater 
part of the prayers of the Mass, he keeps his hands 
apart and a little raised, to conform to the ancient 
manner of praying, which is very often pointed out in 
the Psalms and the Epistles of St. Paul. The people 
also prayed with their hands raised, and it is a very 
natural gesture to express the eagerness with which 
we expect what we ask for. The early Christians not 
only raised their hands, but also extended their arms, 
in imitation of the manner in which Jesus Christ 
prayed on the Cross. After the Collect and the other 
prayers of the Church the people, through the choir 
or the altar boys, answer Amen, to show that they 



From the Introit to the Gospel 75 

have made the same request of God that the priest 
did. The spirit of the Church, consequently, is that 
the people should attend to the prayers and join with 
the priest who says them to obtain from God what 
he asks in the name of the congregation. 

We may judge of the dignity and sanctity of the 
sacrifice by the ceremonies which precede it. All 
we have described up to the present is only a part of 
the preparation; our petition for mercy, the praise of 
God, and the prayers which we address to Him through 
the merits of Jesus Christ to obtain His favors and 
graces are only a preparation for the sacrifice, and this 
is not all. There is the reading of the Sacred Scrip- 
ture, the Epistle, and the Gospel. This was the way 
in which the Jews always commenced their public 
services, and it is the manner in which the first Chris- 
tians began their service on Sunday. They considered 
the reading of the Scriptures as one of the most ex- 
cellent means of sanctifying the Lord's Day, and from 
the very earliest ages the sacrifice was never offered 
until after the reading of the Scripture. This reading 
is called the Epistle, because it is generally taken from 
the Epistles of St. Paul or the other Apostles. The 
Church reads the writings of the ambassadors of God 
before the Gospel, and this is done in imitation of 
Jesus Christ, who always sent one of His disciples 
first to the place where He himself went afterwards. 

At solemn Masses the congregation sits during the 
reading of the Epistle, because among the Jews and 



76 



The Meaning of the Mass 



the first Christians the Epistle was a kind of confer- 
ence or sermon in a dialogue form, when those present 
could make remarks, as we learn from the writings 
of St. Paul, (i Cor. 14:26.) 

After the Epistle a verse of the Psalm is either said 
or sung, or some other prayer taken from the Scrip- 
ture is said, to give the people time to think over the 
Epistle just read. This is called the Gradual, because 
in Rome and elsewhere it was chanted or recited on 
the steps of the pulpit or reading desk. It is called 
Gradual from the Latin word gradus, which means 
step, from, as I said, its being said on the steps of 
the pulpit. 

The Gradual is followed by an Alleluia. This, as 
I have already said, is a Hebrew word which means 
praise God. The Church preserves this word because 
it is very forcible in the original and cannot be trans- 
lated into any other language in so short and ex- 
pressive a manner; besides it inspires an emotion or 
transport of joy which it is impossible to express by 
any other one word. And on this account the Church 
multiplies it in greater festivals and suppresses it on 
days of mourning and in times of penance. She does 
not dispense us on those days from rendering to God 
the praise that is His due, for in her office before 
Easter, instead of Alleluia, she says : " Praise be to 
Thee, O Lord, Thou Who art the King of Glory." 
She simply interdicts the sentiments of joy which 
should accompany this word of praise. 



From the Introit to the Gospel 77 

The people who cannot follow these different 
prayers should, during the Epistle, Gradual, and Al- 
leluia, acknowledge their gratitude to God for having 
called them to the knowledge of His holy law in prefer- 
ence to so many who still slumber in darkness and the 
shadow of death; they should reflect on the excel- 
lence of this special favor; pray to the Holy Ghost 
who dictated the oracles of the prophets and Apostles, 
to point out to them the sense of these mysteries, to 
give them a knowledge for and a love of the truths 
contained in the words of the sacred writers, and 
especially should they cherish the good thoughts with 
which the Holy Ghost inspires those who, in sin- 
cerity, seek the true way. 



THE GOSPEL AND THE NICENE CREED 



" How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that 
bringeth good tidings and that preacheth peace; of him that 
showeth forth good, that preacheth salvation, that saith to Sion: 
Thy king shall reign." — Isaias 52:7. 

The first steps which Jesus Christ took for the 
instruction of the people led Him to a high mountain, 
where, being seated, as says the sacred historian, He 
spoke to the multitudes who surrounded Him con- 
cerning the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. To 
Him, then, must be applied these words quoted from 
the prophet, since He alone has truly announced the 
gospel of peace. The first words of this Divine 
Preacher were an assurance and consolation for those 
who are poor and humble and persecuted : " Blessed 
are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of 
Heaven. Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess 
the land. Blessed are they who suffer persecutions, 
for justice sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." 
Well, then, may we say, " How beautiful on the moun- 
tains are the feet of Him who bringeth good tidings 
and that preacheth peace," since He comes to teach 
mankind to seek for happiness in that which is painful 
to human nature and revolting to their senses; and 
what makes this proceeding still more interesting is to 

78 



The Gospel and the Nicene Creed 79 

know that it is not limited to the time of His min- 
istry. The gospel of peace, announced every day in 
the celebration of the divine mysteries, either by the 
priest when he officiates alone, or by the deacon when 
the oblation is accompanied with greater solemnity, 
recalls to our mind the fact that it was a God who 
was our instructor and master. 

This is the most interesting part of the Mass of the 
Catechumens, who, as we will see later on, were 
obliged to leave the Church after the reading of the 
Gospel, and it is the most useful for the Christian who 
knows how to employ his faith. This reading of the 
Gospel, preceded by prayer, the instruction of 
the Apostles, the verses of the Psalms, and the writ- 
ings of the prophets, represent that plenitude of time 
when the Son of the Father of the family, having 
been announced by His servants and His ministers, 
comes himself to cultivate His vineyard and sow 
good seed in His field. We will follow this ceremony 
in all the circumstances which accompany it, and en- 
deavor to learn its importance. 

The Gospel is Jesus Christ's own words — what He 
said and what He caused to be written; it is the word 
which He pronounced outwardly for the instruction 
of all mankind. Jesus Christ did not speak for the 
men of His time only. The words of men, the pro- 
duction of limited or finite minds, are ordinarily ad- 
dressed only to those to whom they speak ; such, how- 
ever, is not the case with Jesus Christ — He spoke for 



80 



The Meaning of the Mass 



all future ages. So when we hear the Gospel read 

it is Jesus Christ Himself we hear speaking ; it is Jesus 
Christ who addresses His words to us; it is Jesus 
Christ who instructs us in particular. Let us not 
envy the happiness of those who, during their mortal 
career, heard Jesus Christ preach ; and let us not say : 
Happy are they who saw Him; many of those who 
saw Him put to death, and many among us who 
did not see Him have believed. The precious words 
which fell from His sacred lips are written for us, are 
preserved for us, are recited for us; it was of us, as 
well as of the Jews, that Jesus Christ said : " Many 
prophets and just men have desired to see the things 
that you see, and have not seen them; and to hear 
the things that you hear, and have not heard them." 
(Matt. 13:17.) 

This truth that it is Jesus Christ who speaks, who 
preaches, who instructs when the Gospel is read is the 
principle of the conduct of the Church which, since 
the sacred books of the Gospel have been written, has 
always had them read at Mass. There is no ancient 
liturgy wherein the Gospel is not marked out, be- 
cause those who assist at the sacrifice should know the 
precepts and actions of Jesus Christ and publicly tes- 
tify their respect and love for them. And on this 
account the reading of the Gospel is preceded and fol- 
lowed by many ceremonies which should excite in 
us a most respectful love. 

The deacon — that is to say, the one who, in holy 



Tlie Gospel and the Nicene Creed 81 

orders, comes nearest the priest, and who, by virtue 
of his ordination, received power to announce the 
Gospel solemnly — at solemn Masses puts the book on 
the altar. The custom is respected for its antiquity; 
in the early days of the Church the book of the Gos- 
pels was brought to the altar with great ceremony, at 
the commencement of the Mass, to teach us to re- 
spect it; and which we should show, not only for the 
one used on the altar, but also for the one kept at our 
own homes. The words of Jesus Christ are written 
in that they are the words of a God. Is it not a shame 
for Christians to think that the Jews have more re- 
spect for the tablets of the law, and that the Moham- 
medans have more respect for the words of their false 
prophets than we have for the Holy Book which con- 
tains the instructions of life eternal. 

The deacon and the priest, before reading the Gos- 
pel, recite the prayer munda cor meum : " Almighty 
God, purify my heart and my lips; Thou who didst 
purify with a burning coal the lips of the prophet 
Isaias, deign to grant me the same grace through 
the effect of a mercy which is not due me, so that I 
may worthily announce Thy holy Gospel." This 
prayer shows the importance of this sacred function 
and the grandeur of the ceremony, but the spectacle 
becomes still more interesting when the sacred min- 
ister places the holy Gospel on his breast and then, 
kneeling before the priest, asks him to bless the work 
he is about to perform, and the priest says : " May 



82 



The Meaning of the Mass 



the Lord dwell in thy heart, and His spirit be upon 
thy lips, that thou mayest announce His Gospel with 
the respect it requires, and the dispositions He has 
prescribed for you." Then the deacon brings the book 
of Gospel to the place where it is to be sung, being 
preceded by acolytes, who bring incense and lighted 
candles, and there he incenses the book in the center, 
to the right and the left. 

Here there are three solemn and remarkable cere- 
monies: First, the incense; second, the lights; third, 
the position of the assistants when the book of the 
Gospels is opened. First, the incense is blessed by the 
priest and is carried before the book of the Gospels, 
so that the perfume which it exhales may be a sign 
of the good odor which God diffuses in our hearts by 
making Himself known by His holy Gospel. Second, 
lighted candles are borne as a sign of the joy the 
Gospel affords, and to show that Jesus Christ is 
the true light, who enlightens us by His word. Third, 
the Gospel, preceded by the incense and lights, leads 
the faithful to assume a position which indicates new 
respect, for the people stand to show that they are 
ready to obey the voice of Jesus Christ, which they 
are about to hear. After the book of Gospels has 
been placed in position the deacon or priest incenses 
it three times to show that it is the source of the 
sweet perfume which should diffuse duly into our 
minds. 

Whether the priest recites the Gospel at the altar 



The Gospel and the Nicene Creed 83 

or the deacon sings it at the corner of the sanctuary, 
they begin by saluting the people, saying " Dominus 
vobiscum " — The Lord be with you — and the people 
answer, " Et cum spiritu tuo " — And with thy spirit. 
They mutually wish each other that God would be 
with them : that He would speak to their hearts, so that 
the sound of the holy words would not fall uselessly 
on their ears. The priest or the deacon, as the case 
may be, says : " Initium " or " Sequentia sancti 
Evangelii " — The beginning or the continuation of 
the holy Gospel. At these words the priest, and, in 
solemn Masses, the deacon, makes the sign of the Cross 
with his thumb at the beginning of the Gospel, to show 
by this sign of the Cross that it is the book of Jesus 
Christ crucified, and to ask, through the merits of this 
Cross, that the reading of the Gospel may make a 
salutary impression on the minds and hearts of the 
hearers; and then the priest, deacon, and the people 
make the sign of the Cross on their forehead, lip, and 
breast. What a fund of instruction is contained in 
this simple, yet holy, ceremony! 

Why do we make the sign of the Cross on the fore- 
head ? To imprint the memory of Jesus Christ on our 
minds and to fill them with the instruction which He 
came upon earth to give. Could there be anything 
more sublime? What is the meaning of the word 
Gospel? The tidings of the Kingdom of Heaven, 
of peace, of grace, of glory, the fulfillment of the 
promises; but how empty and vain are these cere- 



84 



The Meaning of the Mass 



monies for those who are insensible to the truths of 
the Gospel, who never think of it, who never concern 
themselves about it. Second. The sign of the Cross is 
made on the forehead to show that we are not 
ashamed of the Gospel; by this mysterious sign we 
openly and publicly profess our belief in the truths 
of the Gospel, and we say frankly with St. Paul : " I 
am not ashamed of the Gospel/' But woe to us if, 
after making in presence of the altar a solemn pro- 
fession to follow the Gospel, we turn traitor and re- 
nounce it by our works. 

The second sign of the Cross is made on our lips. 
What is the meaning of that? That we must confess 
with the lips what we believe in the heart; that we 
should love to speak of the truths of the Gospel and 
make them known. This is the testimony which Je- 
sus Christ expects from us, and how many occasions 
have we not for so doing. Are we not often forced 
to listen to railleries against holy things which world- 
lings applaud? Whence that rashness so dangerous 
and so common in our days, with which men without 
education, without the slightest knowledge of divine 
sciences, boldly express themselves about truths they 
neither know nor understand? Are we not often 
obliged to listen to maxims formally opposed to those 
of the Gospel? such, for instance, that as far as tem- 
poral goods are concerned, each one should look out 
for himself and provide for himself as best he can, 
that no one is happy unless he is rich; that there is a 



The Gospel and the Nicene Creed 85 

time for retreat and a time for pleasure; that certain 
faults are not grievous sins — maxims which are 
anathematized by Jesus Christ in the Gospel. On all 
such occasions we are bound by the sign of the Cross 
which we make on our forehead to openly express 
the defiance of the contrary truths contained in the 
Gospel. It is a kind of secret apostasy if, after we 
leave the Church, we yield to the damnable facility of 
listening to the licentious words of some friend of 
suspected faith, to that cowardly timidity which closes 
our lips, to that fear of offending those who sin in 
our presence. 

And, lastly, the third sign of the Cross is made 
on our heart to impress the words of the Gospel on 
our souls, in order that we may affectionately accom- 
plish them. And whilst making this sign of the 
Cross we say: " Gloria tibi, Domine " — Glory be to 
Thee, O Lord, who art come to be our light and to 
give us the necessary means to work out our salva- 
tion. 

At the end of the Gospel the priest kisses the Gos- 
pel book to show his respect, the joy and love which 
the divine words inspire; the assistants say " Laus 
tibi, Christe " — Praise be to Thee, O Christ. It is 
quite proper to praise Jesus Christ, who, by His word, 
came to dispel our darkness and lead us in the way of 
truth. The priest, having read the Gospel, says: 
" Per evangelica dicta deleantur nostra delicta " — 
May our sins be washed away by the words of the 



86 



The Meaning of the Mass 



Gospel; for these divine words have a force and a 
peculiar virtue to excite in us repentance for our 
sins and the love of God, who washes them away. 

All these ceremonies and the solemnity with which 
the Gospel is announced teach us that we should hear 
it with the respect which we owe to Christ Himself, 
and this our divine Savior taught us when He said 
that the happiness of those who hear and practice the 
Gospel is preferable to that of the Blessed Virgin 
when she bore Him in her womb. We should hearken 
to the Gospel the same as if it was Jesus Christ Him- 
self who spoke to us, and this is the reason why the 
Gospel is read in a loud voice. We should not lose 
one word of it, for, as when we receive the Eucharist, 
we are not to allow the least particle to fall, why 
should we not consider it a crime to neglect to hear 
a word of Jesus Christ the same as to neglect His 
body? The body Jesus Christ, which is our spiritual 
food, is not only the bread and wine which is offered 
on the altar; the Gospel is also the body of Jesus 
Christ, and when we read or hear the Gospel we are 
as it were children of the family seated around 
the table of the Lord, whereon we partake of the 
Heavenly food. It is not only at Mass that we should 
hear the Gospel; we would have good reason to com- 
plain if the Church allowed us to know the last will 
and testament of our own Lord only by parts, and in 
such a short and rapid manner, and which is some- 
times not heard by many; the Church, the spouse of 



The Gospel and the Nicene Creed 87 

Jesus Christ, wishes the book which contains His di- 
vine oracles to be in the hands of every Christian, 
and wishes it to be translated into every language, so 
that all her children may seek there their daily food. 
Whence, then, comes this frightful indifference of 
so many Christians who never open the sacred Book, 
and who do not keep it in their homes? To this 
deplorable insensibility we must attribute that deluge 
of spiritual evils with which we are inundated on 
every side — that coldness of faith, corruption of morals, 
and the almost total extinction of Religion. If God 
formerly commanded His people to read incessantly 
the law which He gave them, and to meditate upon 
it day and night, how can we dare call ourselves fol- 
lowers of Jesus Christ if we neglect to hear His 
word? 

Neglect to read the Gospel when it can be done is 
a sin of such a nature, according to the Fathers, that 
those who do not know how to read are not excusable 
on account of their ignorance of what may be learned 
there, and to neglect to be instructed in it. We very 
often find that the most uneducated persons are capa- 
ble of learning and repeating, word for word, ten or 
fifteen and twenty times more verses of a profane 
song, and, after this, how can they pretend to excuse 
themselves on the cause of ignorance that they never 
learned any of the Gospel? Without being able to 
read, they have sufficient genius to learn what the 
devil teaches them for their destruction, and still they 



88 



The Meaning of the Mass 



cannot learn from the lips of Jesus Christ the truths 
which are necessary for their salvation. 

The Gospel is followed by the Credo, which is an 
abridgment of the Christian doctrine and is called 
the Apostles' Creed and the symbol of faith. The 
word symbol signifies a sign which is used to distin- 
guish one thing from another. In the army the pass- 
word is a sign which distinguishes the friend from 
the foe, and in the Christian army the saying of the 
Creed the Christian from those who are not of the 
fold. Hence comes the ancient mode of speech: Give 
the sign of the Christian, say the Creed. On this ac- 
count it is called the symbol of faith or the symbol of 
the Christians, and it is also called the Apostles' Creed 
because it was composed by them and is the symbol 
recited many times in the daily prayers. There was 
no other Creed during the first three ages. The first 
Christians learned it by heart and never wrote it, for 
fear of its falling into the hands of the pagans, but in 
the fourth century, when Arius denied the divinity 
of Jesus Christ, the fathers of the first general coun- 
cil, held at Nice, explained and amplified the second 
article of the Apostles' Creed, concerning the Son, 
and shortly after, at the second general council, the 
article on the Holy Ghost was explained, against 
Macedonius, bishop of Constantinople, who attacked 
His divinity; and, lastly, a pious and learned author 
composed a fourth symbol, more diffuse than the 
others, and this was attributed to St. Athanesius, the 



The Gospel and the Nicene Creed 89 

most illustrious of the defenders of the faith. The 
Creed which is recited at the Mass is the Nicene 
Creed; this was not used in the first ages of the 
Church; at present it is said only on Sundays and 
other days of greater solemnity. When the Creed is 
said the priest stands in the center of the altar, turned 
towards the Cross; he raises his hands, and at the 
same time raises his mind and heart to Heaven, and 
the external raising of his hands is a sign of the in- 
ternal elevation of his soul; he afterwards joins them 
to assume his ordinary position, which is to keep his 
hands joined when he has nothing definite to do. 

The congregation should join with him and say 
the Creed, because it is a profession of faith which 
should be made by all Christians, whether cleric, laic, 
men or women, learned or ignorant. As I have al- 
ready explained the Creed in detail, there is no neces- 
sity of here repeating the explanation, but will simply 
say that during the Creed we should solemnly profess 
our firm belief in all that is read in the Gospel. Dur- 
ing the Creed we kneel from the words Descendit de 
coelis and remain kneeling until after the words 
homo factus est — He came down from Heaven and 
was made man — to adore in this humble posture the 
abasement of Jesus Christ in coming into the world 
and His Incarnation. At the end of the Creed the 
priest signs himself with the sign of the Cross and 
the congregation should do the same, to show that we 
look forward to the Resurrection and the future life, 



90 



The Meaning of the Mass 



in which we believe and hope that, by the virtue of 
Jesus Christ, who has arisen to the glorious life as an 
assurance of our resurrection, the resurrection of the 
faithful who are His members, and lead them to 
Heaven, which He opened by His ascension, that they 
may become sharers in the blessed immortality which 
He purchased for us at the price of His blood. 



OFFERTORY OF THE PEOPLE AND 
OFFERING OF BREAD AND WINE 



" In a contrite heart and humble spirit let us be accepted." 

— Daniel 3:39. 

This is the only disposition known to the Church 
as pleasing to God, who has often explained it in the 
Sacred Scriptures and declared that He would look 
with favor only upon the poor ; that He will hear only 
those who are humble of heart. The Church borrows 
this prayer from one of the prophets to offer it to the 
Lord when about to commence the oblation of the 
sacrifice. She has already pointed out to us this two- 
fold disposition in the confession which serves as a 
preparation for the Mass ; but she teaches us that here 
is the time and place to make use of it, if we wish 
this offering, which is always pleasing to God, since 
it is His own Son who is humbled in presence of His 
divine Majesty, to be useful to ourselves by our 
union with the dispositions of this divine Savior. 

We pass now to a very interesting part of the Mass, 
since it is, in a certain sense, an essential part of the 
sacrifice. If we were to reflect on this part of the Mass 
we could find matter for many instructions. Yet, 
wishing to be brief, we will try not to neglect any 

91 



92 



The Meaning of the Mass 



of the important ceremonies which compose it, and to 
draw the most useful conclusions. 

Up to the present we have spoken only of the 
prayers and ceremonies which precede the act of sac- 
rifice. Whatever ideas we may have gained from 
these preparations concerning the grandeur and sanc- 
tity of the sacrifice, we will be still more struck with 
its excellence when we see the Church act in reality 
and commence to offer the victim. 

In ancient days the august sacrifice began by a 
ceremony capable of striking terror in the mind of 
the most dissipated, and of inspiring respect, devotion, 
and fervor in the hearts of the hardened. That was 
the public and solemn proclamation ordering the peni- 
tents and Catechumens to leave the Church. Immedi- 
ately after the Gospel the Deacon cried out in a loud 
voice : " Catechumens retire ! " They went, then, to 
receive the priest's blessing, who imposed hands upon 
them and prayed for them according to their own 
state, after which they retired in silence and humility. 
The penitents did the same; they never remained in 
the Church after the sacrifice — only those who had 
preserved the grace and innocence of baptism or 
those who, having lost it, had regained it by works 
of condign penance, were allowed to remain. 

This ancient discipline of the Church proves the 
high idea they had of the sacrifice. It recalls to mind 
the purity, the sanctity, and innocence of those who 
were allowed to be present at the sacred mysteries. 



The People's Offertory 93 



This discipline no longer exists. The Church, full 
of mercy or more indulgent towards the sinner, not 
only permits them to be present when she offers the 
sacrifice, but she commands them, under pain of sin, 
to be present at the sacrifice on Sundays and holy days 
commanded, and if the ancient custom is changed, her 
spirit is always the same. When she excluded sin- 
ners from assisting at Mass she wished by this exclu- 
sion to make them feel their unworthiness and inspire 
them with a holy eagerness to merit by their penance 
to assist at and share in it. And when she admits 
them to the sacrifice she wishes that, in view of the 
sacrifice of propitiation which is to be offered for their 
sins, their hearts may be moved to repentance for their 
sins and that, finding they are not considered worthy 
of being united with the faithful to make with Jesus 
Christ but one victim, they may at least offer to Him 
the sacrifice of an humble and contrite heart at the 
same time that the Church offers Jesus Christ as a 
victim of propitiation for their sins. 

At the time of the offertory we should enter into 
sentiments of contrition, acknowledge our dignity, and 
groan like the publican of the Gospel, who did not dare 
so much as to raise his eyes to Heaven when he 
prayed in the temple. You whom God, by His grace, 
has preserved from crime, or healed from deadly 
wounds, renew your attention and devotion when 
the sacrifice is about to begin. The Church is about 
to offer Jesus Christ ; she is about to offer herself with 



94 



The Meaning of the Mass 



Jesus Christ; be prepared, then, to offer yourselves 
with her; enter into the spirit of Jesus Christ and of 
His Church. The priest and the people begin this 
part of the Mass by wishing one another the assist- 
ance of God. Dominus vobiscum — May the Lord 
be with you and with thy spirit. Then the priest, 
turning towards the altar, says : " Oremus " — Let 
us pray. These words point out on this occasion, 
more so than at any other time, that we should join 
with him, that we should pray with him and pray in 
the same manner as he does; that all private prayers 
should cease at that moment, since all the prayers which 
the priest will say thenceforth are common to these 
and himself. 

After this, exhortation to prayer is made. In or- 
der to understand this first act of the sacrifice we must 
distinguish two kinds of oblations. The first is the 
oblation of the people, who offer to the priest that 
which is to be offered in the sacrifice. The second is 
the oblation of the priest, who offers to God, in the 
name of the congregation, that which he received from 
the people to be changed into the body and blood of 
Jesus Christ. The oblation of the people up to the 
fourth century was made in silence. At the time of 
St. Augustine the custom of singing the Psalms dur- 
ing the offertory of the people was introduced at 
Carthage, and this is what we call the offertory, be- 
cause it was sung whilst the people made the offering, 
which offering is the first action of the sacrifice. The 



The People's Offertory 95 



sacrifice requires three essential things : a congregation 
to offer, a priest to sacrifice what the people offer, and 
the communion of the priest and people in the offering 
made. The first part, then, of the sacrifice is the of- 
fering, and this the people should make; on this ac- 
count the Mass is the sacrifice of the whole Church; 
the part which the people have in the Mass is the mat- 
ter of the sacrifice, which they should offer, and which 
should not be presented except by the people. Such 
is the teaching of the Church. 

The Church could at once place in the hands of 
the priest the matter for the sacrifice, but she wishes 
him to receive it from the people. She considered that 
in the sacrifices of the Jews, which were only a figure 
of her sacrifice, the people offered the victim to be 
slain. The victim which the Church sacrifices is none 
other than Jesus Christ, but she cannot have that vic- 
tim except by consecration, and the consecration can- 
not be made except by a priest; the people cannot 
offer a victim which they have not as yet. But if the 
people cannot offer the victim, they can at least offer 
the bread and wine which is to be changed into the 
victim ; the people give the fruit, that which he should 
consecrate, and, in consequence of the consecration 
of that which the people give, they share in the sac- 
rifice. 

But if the offering should be made by the people, 
and if it constitutes part of the sacrifice, since they 
no longer, as formerly, present the bread and wine 



96 



The Meaning of the Mass 



which should be consecrated, the sacrifice must be 
incomplete and the people have no part in it. True, 
the people do not now offer the bread and wine for 
the consecration. And the reason of this change is 
because the priests felt obliged to offer at the altar 
bread made with greater care than that which was 
generally offered by the people, and on this account 
the faithful made presents to the Church and left to 
ecclesiastics all which was necessary for the service 
of the altar. Thus, although the bread intended to be 
the matter of the sacrifice is no longer expressly and 
distinctly offered by the people, it must always be 
looked upon as the offering of the people, because it 
is procured through their gifts, and consequently it is 
always true that the first action of the sacrifice should 
be made by the people, and hence the sacrifice of the 
Mass is the sacrifice of the people, as well as the sac- 
rifice of the priest. 

The matter of the Eucharistic sacrifice was pointed 
out by Jesus Christ, who consecrated bread and wine. 
And the Church requires this bread to be unleaven, 
that is to say, there should be no yeast in its com- 
position; it should be made of pure flour, and that it 
should be marked in such a way as to distinguish it 
from the ordinary bread in common use. This bread 
is called a host, that is to say, a victim, because it is 
destined to be changed into the body of Jesus Christ, 
who is the host and the victim of the sacrifice. The 
Latin Church prescribes the use of unleavened bread at 



The People's Offertory 97 



the altar, that is, bread without any yeast, and in this 
she is authorized by the example of Jesus Christ, who 
instituted the Eucharist after He had partaken of 
the paschal lamb, and who, consequently, made use of 
unleavened bread, because from the time that the 
paschal lamb was slain it was forbidden to either eat 
or preserve leaven bread. 

After the saying of the prayer of the offertory the 
priest spreads the corporal upon the altar (this is a 
linen cloth and is called corporal because it is destined 
to touch the body of Jesus Christ) ; he then removes 
the pall, which is another linen cloth which is intended 
to cover the chalice. He then takes the paten, that 
is, the small plate which holds the host, and, first 
raising his eyes towards Heaven, he raises the paten, 
in order to offer God the host thereon, and whilst 
holding the paten raised he says the prayer: " Sus- 
cipe, sancte Pater omnipotens," that is, Receive, O 
Holy, Omnipotent, and Eternal God, this pure host 
which I, Thy unworthy servant, offer to Thee, who 
art my God, living and true. I offer it for my sins, 
my offenses, and negligences, which are numberless; 
for all those here present, and for the faithful living 
and dead, so that it may profit me and them unto 
salvation and eternal life. 

Let us renew this prayer. Receive, O Holy Father, 
Omnipotent and Eternal God. The Church always 
addresses the oblation to the Eternal Father, in imi- 
tation of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who, 



98 



The Meaning of the Mass 



when on earth, offered His sacrifice to the Father. 
Receive this pure host. That which is on the paten is 
only bread, but it is bread which is offered only be- 
cause it is to become the true bread, the body of 
Jesus Christ, the only pure and faultless victim. In 
the new alliance, inanimate things are no longer of- 
fered to God; there is no victim in the new alliance 
but Jesus Christ; if then she offers bread and wine it 
is because they are to become the body and blood of 
Jesus Christ. It is this body and this blood she in- 
tended to offer, and for this reason she calls the 
bread a pure host, not that it is so, but because it is 
soon to become so by the change which will be made 
of it into the body of Jesus Christ, whom I, thy un- 
worthy servant, offer ; the oblation is made by a priest, 
who should always acknowledge himself a most un- 
worthy servant, on account of the infinite dispropor- 
tion between him and the divine victim he is about 
to offer; to Thee, my God, the living and the true. 
He offers it to the true God, to whom alone the sac- 
rifice should be offered, and to the only living God, 
as says the prophet Daniel. " For He is the living 
and eternal God," for my innumerable sins, offenses, 
and negligences he offers it to obtain pardon of his 
sins, which are so numerable they cannot be counted; 
and for all those present the Church pays especial 
attention to those who assist at the sacrifice. The 
priest never prays for himself without praying for 
them, and for all Christians living and dead; by this 



The People's Offertory 99 

the Church means all those who are in her commu- 
nion, living and dead, in order that this pure, stain- 
less host may be profitable to me and to them; he 
prays (i) for himself, (2) for those present, (3) for 
all the faithful for salvation and life eternal; for the 
principal end he should have in view of offering the 
sacrifice is that it may procure for us salvation and 
life eternal by the remission of our sins. At the end 
of this prayer the priest makes the sign of the Cross 
with the paten over the corporal, and places the host 
in the center of it, to show by this sign that he places 
the host on the Cross, where Jesus Christ is offered 
to His Father for our sins. 

Since we are permitted to offer the sacrifice to the 
Most High, and since, in His mercy, He has given us 
the only victim which is agreeable in His sight, capa- 
ble of appeasing Him and rendering Him propitious 
to us, we should offer this victim to conceal our 
unworthiness and to obtain pardon for our sins, for 
this is the only means given us of affecting a recon- 
ciliation with Him. The victim which He gives us 
is charged with our sins to expiate them by the con- 
tinuation of His sacrifice. With what humiliation and 
fervor shall we not offer it! The sins for which we 
ask mercy are numberless; and no matter who or 
what we are, as says St. James, we fall into many 
sins — sins of omission and sins of commission. Why, 
then, should we not have recourse to His mercy; 
why should we not humble ourselves, not only for 



100 



The Meaning of the Mass 



the faults we have confessed, but many others which 
may have escaped our memory, and endeavor, by 
every means in our power, to make ample satisfac- 
tion for them. 

Such is the meaning of our sacrifice, as prefigured 
by the sacrifice of the emissary goat, which the high 
priest offered every year, and over whom he made a 
confession of all the sins of the people, and this is 
why the priest offers the sacrifice for all present. 
How consoling this thought of the Church! With 
what zeal should it not inspire us to be present at 
Mass as often as possible. We should pray to the 
Lord, to Him who promised that when He would be 
raised up He would draw all after Him; that if the 
weight of our iniquity make us unworthy of appear- 
ing in His sanctuary and of joining with the priest 
in offering to Him the holy sacrifice, that He would 
break the chains which hold us captive in sin; that 
He would give us a true contrition and sorrow, that 
we may approach Him; that the Heavenly Father, to 
whom He offered Himself in sacrifice, may look upon 
us with compassion; that the multitude of our sins 
may be washed away from His sight by the sanctity, 
the obedience, and charity of the victim of propitia- 
tion, and that the fruit of our oblation may be for us 
a holy life in time, and a life of happiness in eternity. 



WINE AND WATER, OFFERING OF THE 

CHALICE 



" And my delight is to be with the children of men." — Prov. 
8:31. 

These words were applied by the Church to our 
divine Savior, Jesus Christ, and we may reasonably 
ask why this eagerness on His part to dwell with the 
children of men. Is not He omniscient, and when He 
inspired the prophet to write those words, did He not 
know that mankind would repay all His loving ad- 
vances with ingratitude ? Did He not know that even 
among His own He would be deceived, that in His 
very Church He would find those who would treat 
His sacrifice with criminal indifference, and that very 
often the most efficacious means of salvation would be 
converted into means of damnation for those to whom 
they were offered? Did He not foresee all the in- 
sults, all the profanations which would be heaped upon 
His sacrament of love, the sacrament of the Eu- 
charist? Why, then, does He desire to live among 
mankind? What delight does He promise himself 
from dwelling among the children of men? " My de- 
light is to be with the children of men." This mys- 
tery of love is unfolded in the sacrifice of the Mass, 
and especially in the ceremony we will endeavor to 
explain. 

101 



102 



The Meaning of the Mass 



Suscipe, Sancte Pater — Accept, O Holy Father, etc. 
After this prayer the priest makes the sign of the Cross 
with the paten over the corporal, and then places the 
host upon it, to signify that he places Jesus Christ 
upon the Cross, where He offered himself to His 
Heavenly Father for the sins of mankind. Then, go- 
ing to the corner of the altar, he puts wine into the 
chalice, and to this wine he adds a few drops of 
water. Wine, as well as water, is the matter of the 
sacrifice. The priest, in putting water into the chalice, 
imitates the example of Jesus Christ, who, at the last 
supper, consecrated the Paschal cup, which, according 
to the Jewish rite, there was wine mixed with water. 
The very earliest fathers teach that water was mixed 
with the wine which was consecrated by our divine 
Savior, for there is a mystic reason for the mixing of 
water with the wine which is well for us to under- 
stand. It is intended to represent the union of the 
faithful with Jesus Christ; the union of His Church, 
so that Jesus Christ and the faithful together consti- 
tute one only victim which is offered to God, as the 
water and wine, when mixed together, make but one 
and the same liquid. According to St. John in the 
Apocalypse, the water represents the people : " The 
waters are people/' and as by this mixture the water 
and wine are inseparable in the chalice, so the Church 
cannot be separated from Jesus Christ in the sac- 
rifice. 

The union of the people with Jesus Christ to consti- 



Wine and Water, Offering of the Chalice 103 

tute one and the same victim is a truth which an- 
swers all the objections against the sacrifice taken 
from the prayers after the consecration, wherein we 
ask God to deign to receive the sacrifice which is 
offered to Him and to look upon it with favor, for here 
certainly there is no reference made to the real body 
of Jesus Christ, which is always agreeable to God, 
but to His mystic body, which is the Church, that 
is the faithful. This is the union we will endeavor to 
explain. 

We have already said, when speaking of sacrifice 
in general, that man as a creature should offer him- 
self in sacrifice to his Creator. But man sinned, and, 
in consequence of that sin, became unworthy of being 
offered as a victim to God, since God cannot and 
will not accept any but a pure and spotless victim. 
We said, also, that Jesus Christ was substituted for 
the ancient victims, and was substituted for man him- 
self, in order to furnish us with a means of paying a 
debt which, up to that time, we were incapable of 
doing, namely, to offer a sacrifice capable of repair- 
ing the injury done to God by sin. Jesus Christ, 
substituted for man, is indeed a victim equal to God, 
capable of rendering all the homage due to God. But 
must man always remain incapable of offering him- 
self? True, Jesus Christ is offered for us, but does 
He dispense us from the obligation of offering our- 
selves with Him? No, in becoming a victim for us 
He does not free us from the obligation imposed upon 



104 



The Meaning of the Mass 



us by our very nature, namely, to offer to God in sac- 
rifice our body, our soul, our mind, our life, in a 
word, all that we are. But how did we become 
worthy of being offered to Him? Jesus Christ took 
upon himself our iniquities, in order to expiate them 
and to wash them away with His blood, so that we 
might become victims worthy of being presented to 
God, as says St. Paul, Ept. Tit. 2: 14: "Who gave 
himself for us, that He might redeem us from all 
iniquity, and purify to himself an acceptable people." 
It was not sufficient for Christ to have sanctified the 
Church, and, after having purified it in the waters of 
baptism, that it should be without spot or blemish. 
He must present it in that state to His Father, and 
in order to do so, that is, to present it without spot 
or blemish, He unites Himself with it ; He incorporates 
Himself with it. Christ and the Church, then, are but 
one, and in offering Himself to the Father, He offers 
the faithful also, and in this way exercises the func- 
tion of high priest. And when the faithful, on their 
part, offer Jesus Christ by the hands of the priest, 
they also offer themselves with Jesus Christ, be- 
cause they are His members, and in this way the 
Church, in the offering which she makes, is offered 
herself. 

The union of Jesus Christ with the Church is rep- 
resented by the mixture of the water and wine, for as 
water and wine, when mixed, constitute but one and 
the same liquid, so the faithful, represented by the 



Wine and Water, Offering of the Chalice 105 

water and united with Jesus Christ, represented by 
the wine, constitute but one and the same victim in 
the sacrifice. The offering which is made in the sac- 
rifice is the body of Jesus Christ, whole and entire, 
not only His real and natural body, but His mystic 
body also, which is the Church, of which the faithful 
are members. 

The ceremonies and prayers which are said when 
the water is mixed with the wine are based on this 
truth. The priest does not bless the wine, because the 
wine represents Jesus Christ, who is the source of 
all benediction. He blesses the water, which repre- 
sents the people; they should be blessed before they 
can unite or incorporate themselves with Jesus Christ. 
The priest does not bless the water in Masses for the 
dead, because, although the union and incorporation 
of the souls in purgatory with Jesus Christ is pre- 
served after death, they are no longer capable of being 
blessed by the priest ; they can no longer merit a 
blessing. 

The priest, when putting the water into the chalice, 
says the prayer : " Deus qui humanae substantiae," 
etc., that is, " O God, who, in creating human nature, 
didst wonderfully dignify it, and hast still more won- 
derfully renewed it, grant that, by the mystery of this 
water and wine, we may be made partakers of His 
divinity, who vouchsafed to become a partaker of our 
humanity. Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who 
liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy 



106 



The Meaning of the Mass 



Ghost, world without end, Amen." God, in creating 
human nature, didst wonderfully dignify it (that is, 
by uniting two substances so different, a material and 
destructible body with a spiritual and immortal soul, 
formed to His own image) and hast still more won- 
derfully renewed (by the incomprehensible union of 
the divine with the human nature, by which He gives 
us a right, through this double prodigy, to ask for 
something still more consoling), namely, that we 
might be sharers of His divinity as He is a sharer of 
our humanity. He is Jesus, the Savior of His people ; 
He is Christ, the image of the substance of the 
Father; He is Thy Son, our Lord. 

After the people have been blessed and represented 
in the chalice by the mixture of the water with the 
wine, the priest, who spoke only in the singular num- 
ber when offering the bread : " This immaculate host, 
which I, Thy unworthy servant, offer Thee," now 
speaks in the plural number and says " Offerimus " — 
that is, " We offer." The people offer and pray with 
him. The people should join with the priest and say 
secretly : " We offer to Thee, O Lord, the chalice of 
salvation, beseeching the clemency that, in the sight 
of Thy divine majesty, it may ascend with the odor 
of sweetness for our salvation and for that of the 
whole world, Amen." 

After the oblation of the chalice the priest bows 
his head, and, keeping his hands joined on the altar, 
says, whilst humbly offering himself to God with the 



Wine and Water, Offering of the Chalice 107 

people: " In spiritu humilitatis," etc. — " In the spirit 
of humility, and with a contrite heart, let us be ac- 
cepted by Thee, O Lord, and grant that the sacrifice 
we offer in Thy sight may be pleasing to Thee, O 
Lord God." Having offered the bread, which is to 
be changed into the body of Jesus Christ, and having 
offered wine mixed with water, which is to be changed 
into His blood, we desire to be changed ourselves, so 
that we may be capable of being offered to God as an 
agreeable victim; but this can be done only by the 
operation of the sanctifying spirit; we then invoke 
him that he may deign to change us at the same time 
that he is invoked to change the bread and wine into 
the body and blood of Jesus Christ. The priest then, 
extending his hands, raises them on high, and after- 
wards joins them to show by his gesture that he ex- 
pects help from Heaven. He raises his eyes in imita- 
tion of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who always raised 
His eyes to Heaven when He invoked the omnipo- 
tence of the Father; he then lowers them and, look- 
ing upon the offering which is to be blessed, makes 
the sign of the Cross over the oblation, to show that 
it is by the virtue of the Cross that he hopes for the 
blessing he asks, and says the prayer : " Veni, Sanc- 
tificator " — " Come, O Santifier, Almighty and Eter- 
nal God, and bless this sacrifice prepared in Thy 
name." 

We should remark here that although in this 
prayer there are many terms which seem to designate 



108 



The Meaning of the Mass 



God the Father, the prayer is addressed to the Holy 
Ghost, the third person of the Blessed Trinity. This 
remark is very important, and in order to appreciate 
its consequence, it will be sufficient to know that from 
this invocation for the change of the substance of 
bread and wine, we can always argue for the reality 
of the body and blood of Jesus Christ, and for the 
real presence of the divine victim in the sacrifice of our 
altar. For why in the liturgy, and especially in the 
Greek liturgy, do we ask for the descent of the Holy 
Ghost? In order that He may animate, that He may 
vivify and sanctify the sacrifice. And how will this 
be done? By changing the bread and wine into the 
body and blood of Jesus Christ and from this we may 
always conclude that the Holy Ghost is God, since in 
baptism He is equally invoked with the Father and 
the Son, and since at the mystic table He it is who 
changes the common bread into the body in which 
Jesus Christ is incarnated. 

After the oblation the priest goes to the corner of 
the altar and washes the ends of his fingers. Besides 
the natural reason of propriety for this ceremony, 
there is also a mystic reason. By this same ceremony 
which takes place at the commencement of the sacri- 
fice, the Church wishes to show that in order to offer 
it and to assist at it properly we should be purified 
from every stain of sin. The washing is not for the 
purpose of cleansing the body, for decency and propri- 
ety require that this should be done before entering 



Wine and Water, Offering of the Chalice 109 

the sacred place. The washing of the hands signifies 
that we should be cleansed from every defilement of 
sin ; the hands may be taken to signify our actions, and 
to wash them is to purify all our actions so that our 
soul may be cleansed from every stain. The water 
that is given to the priest at this time to wash his 
hands signifies the purity which belongs to those who 
are consecrated to God. 

Each one should do interiorly what is represented 
by the external action of the priest. If the Church 
desires us to purify ourselves at the commencement 
of Mass by a general confession, in order to prepare 
ourselves for the sacrifice which we are to offer, she 
does not intend to exclude us from the second purifi- 
cation, which takes place so near the time of the 
great mystery in which we are to take such an active 
part, since it is the sacrifice of the people as well as 
the sacrifice of the priest. The spirit of the ceremony 
is to purify ourselves before God by a sincere detesta- 
tion of every kind of sin, of every inordinate affection, 
so that we may not unworthily profane the sacred 
mysteries about to be celebrated, that we might raise 
to God as says the Apostle only pure hands, that is to 
say, that the purity of our hearts may make the sacri- 
fice we are about to offer agreeable to God. 

The ceremony corresponds wonderfully with the 
prayer which is said by the priest. Lavabo enter inno- 
centes manus meas, " I will wash my hands among 
the innocent and will encompass thy altar, O Lord. 



110 The Meaning of the Mass 



That I may hear the voice of praise and tell of all Thy 
marvelous works. I have loved, O Lord, the beauty 
of Thy house and the place where Thy glory dwelleth. 
Take not away my soul, O God, with the wicked, nor 
my life with bloody men, in whose hands are iniquities, 
their right is filled with gifts. As for me I have walked 
in my innocence, redeem me and have mercy upon me. 
My foot hath stood in the right path, in the Church 
I will bless thee, O Lord." 

The Gloria Patri is said at the end of this psalm, 
but is omitted in Masses for the dead and during pas- 
sion time, because this hymn of glorification is a 
hymn of joy which is not very appropriate in times 
of mourning. 

The Church takes every precaution to secure respect 
for the august mystery, and in order to enter into her 
views we show our respect for the sacrifice and during 
the Lavabo or the washing of the hands say, O God, 
Thou who didst vouchsafe to wash the feet of Thy 
disciples before inviting them to Thy holy table, wash 
us also and not only our hands and our feet, but our 
hearts and our souls, that we may be wholly innocent 
and pure in Thy sight here below and merit the reward 
of the innocent in the life hereafter. 



FROM SUSCIPE, SANCTA TRINITAS, UP TO 
THE SECRETAE OR SECRET PRAYERS 



" In them and thou in me, that they may be made one." 

—John 17 :23. 

After the priest in the name of the Church has of- 
fered the bread and wine separately and after he and 
the faithful have offered themselves in acknowledg- 
ment of the supreme dominion of God over them as 
creatures, and for the expiation of their sins, there is 
another general oblation which contains these special 
oblations and which explains this meaning and effects, 
and which comprehends all who take part in the sacri- 
fice even though it be in different ways. God, Jesus 
Christ, the Saints of Heaven and the faithful on earth. 
God in the trinity of persons, and the only one to whom 
the sacrifice is offered. Jesus Christ the second person 
of the Blessed Trinity, who is offered in His humanity. 
The Church in Heaven and on earth is there offered 
as members of His body, but with a difference which 
it is very important for me to develop in order to jus- 
tify all the terms or expressions of the Church in this 
prayer with which Protestants find so much fault, 
simply because they will not give themselves trouble 
to discern its proper sense or spirit. 

The priest having washed his hands goes to the 

ill 



112 



The Meaning of the Mass 



middle of the altar, and holding his hands joined upon 
it, bows his head and says secretly the prayer : Suscipe, 
Sancta Trinitas, " Receive, O Holy Trinity, this obla- 
tion which we make to Thee in memory of the passion, 
resurrection and ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
and in honor of the Blessed Mary Ever Virgin, of 
Blessed John the Baptist, the holy Aspostles, Peter and 
Paul, of these and of all Saints, that it may be avail- 
able to their honor and our salvation, and may they 
vouchsafe to intercede for us in Heaven, whose memory 
we celebrate on earth, through the same Christ, our 
Lord. Amen." 

The oblation is offered in memory of the passion, 
resurrection and ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
because these three mysteries have been the accomplish- 
ment of the immolation and consummation of His 
sacrifice. We make the oblation of Jesus Christ at the 
altar the same as He is in Heaven, that is to say, im- 
molated on the Cross, clarified or glorified and consum- 
mated in God by His resurrection, and presented to 
His Divine Majesty by His ascension, and as there 
was but one immolation of this victim on the Cross, one 
glorification, consummation and communion by His 
resurrection, and since these cannot be repeated the 
sacrifice of the Mass is on that account a sacrifice 
commemorative of the passion, resurrection and as- 
cension of Jesus Christ, because the sacrifice of the 
Mass already supposes and comprehends them. It is 
commemorative of those parts which have been accom- 



Suscipe, Sancta Trmitas, up to the Secretae 113 

plished, but this does not prevent it from being a real 
sacrifice, since there is made to God a true oblation 
of a victim really present, who is not indeed immolated, 
clarified and consummated on our altar anew, but who 
has been already immolated and consummated, all the 
parts of which is represented in some manner by the 
Church in the sacrifice. 

But is it not an insult to God to offer the sacrifice 
in honor of the Blessed Virgin and the Saints? Not 
at all, because the Saints are honored and glorified only 
by virtue of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and also 
because, far from offering the sacrifice to the Saints, 
the Saints themselves are offered in sacrifice to God 
with Jesus Christ, their head. 

There can be nothing more honorable to the Saints 
than to be imitated to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and 
we can do nothing that would be more agreeable to 
them than to celebrate their memory in the sacrifice 
which is the cause of all their honor and glory. And 
in this the enemies of the Church wish to find a sub- 
ject of scandal and say that it makes the Saints equal 
to God, and preferred them even to Jesus Christ, for 
they say that to offer the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, that 
it may serve to honor the Saints, is to honor them more 
than Jesus Christ, since we make use of Jesus Christ to 
honor them, and this is certainly to make them equal 
or even preferable to God, since we address ourselves 
to God to honor the Saints. 

This objection does look a little plausible, but it is 



114 



The Meaning of the Mass 



built on a false interpretation which is given to the 
terms, and falls of itself if we only consider that the 
Church is far from making use of God and Jesus 
Christ to honor the Saints ; but in adoring God by the 
sacrifice, and by joining or uniting them with Jesus 
Christ, with whom they offer themselves in sacrifice 
to God, she honors the Saints. Let us explain these 
truths. 

We have already proved that the Church offers sacri- 
fice to God alone. Whatever honor we pay to the 
Saints, we can say with St. Augustine : We never give 
them temples or priests, or sacrifices, because these do 
not belong to the Saints, but to their God, who is our 
God also. The temples are dedicated to God under the 
name of a Saint, whose relics are preserved there as 
hosts immolated to God, their Lord. We do not offer 
Jesus Christ to the Blessed Trinity to honor the Saints ; 
but after having said that we offer to God the sacrifice 
of Jesus Christ we do not continue to offer, but simply 
explain what the sacrifice contains and what we should 
consider therein, viz. : the mystery of Jesus Christ and 
the victories of the Saints; for the sacrifice of Jesus 
Christ, which we offer, is the sacrifice of the whole 
Church, of the head and His members, the universal 
sacrifice of all the Saints who are themselves sacrificed 
to God. In this sacrifice the martyrs are named by 
Him who offered the sacrifice according to their rank. 
The priest, however, does not offer the sacrifice to them 
although he sacrifices to their memory; he addresses 



Suscipe, Sancta Trinitas, up to the Secret ae 115 

himself to God, because he is the priest of God and not 
their priest ; the sacrifice is the whole and entire body 
of Jesus Christ, which is not offered to them, because 
they themselves are in the sacrifice. This union of the 
Saints in the sacrifice being well understood, why 
should we not have the intention of honoring the 
Saints in the sacrifice, since we there celebrate the 
honor which they had of being accepted as vic- 
tims agreeable to God; an honor which they 
continually possess, since they offer themselves 
incessantly. The Church honors them in nam- 
ing them at her holy altar in thanksgiving for and 
in eternal commemoration of the wonders God has 
worked in them. The honor of the Saints is not so 
much their honor as the honor of God who is wonder- 
ful in them, whose death is precious in His sight, who 
continually bless Him and chant that He is their glory, 
their salvation, their hope, from whom proceeds all 
their strength and the only one who raises them up. 

Since the honor we pay to the Saints comes from the 
gifts they have received from God, and which does not 
end in them, it consequently does not lessen the honor 
we owe to God. We see in the great many prayers of 
the missal that to offer for the Saints or in honor of 
the Saints, is to celebrate the greatness and power of 
God in the graces which they have received by the sac- 
rifice itself. We offer to the Lord, says the Church, in 
the precious death of Thy martyrs this sacrifice whence 
martyrdom takes its rise; because the martyrs have 



116 



The Meaning of the Mass 



drawn from the Eucharist that invincible strength 
which proved their triumph, so also the virgins have 
their honored strength from the heavenly bread, from 
the wheat of the elect and from the wine which is the 
germ of virginity. In a word, we offer the sacrifice 
to honor the victories of the Saints which are those of 
Jesus Christ, and consequently to honor Jesus Christ 
in his Saints and the Saints in Jesus Christ, whose 
members they have the honor of being. Thus, far from 
being able to say that we make use of God and Jesus 
Christ to honor the Saints as if they were their supe- 
riors (which would be a horrible impiety, which can- 
not be imputed to the Catholic Church except through 
gross ignorance and pure malice), we, on the contrary, 
address the sacrifice of Jesus Christ to God in order 
to honor God through Jesus Christ and through the 
Saints who are sacrificed with Him and who on ac- 
count of their union in the sacrifice of the Savior have 
had the courage and honor to triumph over the world, 
the devil and the flesh, an honor which the Church 
will forever celebrate. 

And lastly, when we mention the Saints at the table 
of the Lord, we have always principally in view that 
they pray for us, that they would obtain for us grace 
to walk in their footsteps ; we wish to engage them to 
intercede for us in Heaven, through the commemora- 
tion which we make of them on earth. Quorum memo- 
riam aginus in terris. And thus the words of this 
prayer clearly point out wherein consists the honor we 



Suscipe, Sancta Trinitas, up to the Secret ae 117 

pay to the Saints. We must also remark that this 
prayer, as well as all the collects and prayers of the 
Mass, even in festivals of the Blessed Virgin Mary and 
the Saints, end by the words, " Through Jesus Christ, 
our Lord," to show that it is from Jesus Christ alone 
that we expect the graces which we ask even through 
the intercession of the Saints, because it is only in Jesus 
Christ and through Jesus Christ, our only Mediator, 
that they can be our intercessors. 

The prayer, Suscipe, Sancta Trinitas, being ended, 
the priest kisses the altar which represents Jesus Christ, 
to salute Him, together with the people towards whom 
he is about to turn. He extends his hands and then 
joins them in order to invite those present by this ges- 
ture and by his words to meditation; and raising his 
voice a little, says: Orate fratres, Let us pray, breth- 
ren; he calls those present brethren, for that was the 
name given to one another by the Christians from the 
commencement of the Church. " You are all brethren/' 
says Arnobe, " born of the same Father, Jesus Christ, 
and of the same mother, the Church." The priest does 
not add and you, my sisters, even though there were 
only women present at the Mass ; he addresses himself 
to the principal sex of the assembly without excluding 
the other, because the Church looks upon all those who 
have been baptized as neither man nor woman ; you are 
all one in Jesus Christ. St. Paul The priest continues 
to pray secretly. Brethren, pray that my sacrifice and 
yours may be acceptable to God, the Father Almighty. 



118 The Meaning of the Mass 



We see by this new invitation to pray that the 
nearer the moment of the sacrifice approaches the 
greater should be our prayer and recollection. The 
priest proposes to enter into the holy of holies, as he 
takes leave of the people to whom he does not again 
turn until after the consummation of the sacrifice, dur- 
ing all which time he never turns towards the people, 
even when he says Dominus vobiscum, although this is 
a salutation which is always made to the people to 
whom he addresses himself ; but at this time, occupied 
entirely with the great mystery which is to be per- 
formed, he remains always turned towards the altar, 
the same as if he was inclosed within the holy of 
holies, far removed from the people, and ends his secret 
prayers in a loud tone of voice, to exhort the people 
to keep their souls raised to God. 

When he turned toward the people and said : Orate 
Fratres, it was as if he said, I am about to enter into 
solitude, there to offer my prayer alone and in silence, 
but you on your part pray also, ask God to accept the 
sacrifice which we offer together. The assistants an- 
swer : " May the Lord receive the sacrifice from thy 
hands to the praise and glory of His name to our bene- 
fit, and to that of all His Holy Church." Suscipiat 
Dominus sacrificium. May the Lord receive the sacri- 
fice from thy hands. It is a priest established by God 
and the Church who should offer it. Although Jesus 
Christ has associated all Christians in his priesthood, 
that they may all be spiritual priests, that they may have 



Suscipe, Sancta Trinitas, up to the Secret ae 119 

a right as members of the body of the Church and in 
virtue of their union with Jesus Christ, the High 
Priest, and with the minister who represents Him at 
the altar, to offer to God this great and august sacri- 
fice of the death of His Son, nevertheless, the external 
and visible oblation can be made only by a priest who 
in virtue of his ordination has received the power to 
consecrate and offer in a visible manner the body and 
blood of Jesus Christ, under the form and appearance 
of bread and wine. Ad laudem et gloriam nominis tui, 
to the honor and glory of thy name. The glory of 
God is the principal end of the sacrifice which should 
always be offered in acknowledgment of His sovereign 
dominion over all creatures. Ad utilitatem quoque nos- 
trum. The three other ends of sacrifice are to thank 
Him for His favors, to obtain pardon of sin and the 
graces which are necessary for us, and which are com- 
prised in these words, for our utility. Totiusque Be- 
clesiae suae sanctae, and for that of the whole Church, 
for the sacrifice is for the whole Church. It was to the 
whole Church that Jesus Christ was given; it is the 
Church who offers Him to His Father ; it is the Church 
that is offered with Jesus Christ ; it is the Church who 
receives Him, and it is only as His members and 
ministers that we have a right either to offer or to 
share in the fruit of the sacrifice. 

The priest says in a low voice the prayer which is 
called the Secret, and mostly all the prayers of the 
canon of the Mass, and this is done to honor the silence 



120 The Meaning of the Mass 



of Jesus Christ in His passion, and also that the faith- 
ful may be more attentive to God, whilst the priest 
prays in a low tone of voice. 

According to the most authentic opinion, and the 
one most according to tradition, founded in the usage 
of all the Churches, and sanctioned by all the rites and 
ceremonies prescribed in all the liturgies and missals, 
this prayer is called the Secret, because it is said se- 
cretly in a low tone of voice. The Church enters into 
secrecy, says a learned author, and is no longer heard 
except by God. 

The reasons of this silence are many and sublime; 
this custom preached from time immemorial in the 
Greek Church as well as in the Latin Church of recit- 
ing the secret prayer and those of the canon of the 
Mass in a low voice is full of mystery. The Church 
observes this custom to honor the secret prayer of 
Jesus Christ on the Mount of Olives, and His silence 
at the time of His passion; this silence is commanded 
in order to impress respect, and in order that the peo- 
ple may remain attentive to God, whilst the priest 
prays alone in the name of the whole congregation 
as was done at the sacrifice of the Jews, when the 
High Priest entered into the sanctuary to pray in 
the name of all the people. 

There are also reasons for this silence which the 
Fathers and the councils of the Church have drawn 
from the mystery itself. Is there any mystery more 
sublime than the Eucharist? Are any prayers more 



Suscipe, Sancia Trinitas, up to the Secretae 121 

profound than those of the consecration? Who can 
fathom them? Even if the people saw and heard all 
that the priest does and prays in the great mystery, 
could they pierce the veil which God has drawn about 
His humanity? The Church thus thought that the 
obscurity and secrecy of the mysteries would be more 
efficacious in exciting their fear, their respect and 
admiration. 

All that which is most grand and august in the 
sacrifice takes place in silence. The operation of the 
Holy Ghost, which changes the bread and wine into 
the body and blood of Jesus Christ, is not perceived 
by the senses; the Word is there, but He is silent. 
The sacred humanity is there, but it is always under 
the veil of bread and wine. The divine Savior takes 
a real body on the altar, He offers Himself, He prays, 
He sacrifices Himself, and still nothing is seen or 
heard by the faithful. Is there anything more rea- 
sonable than that during these holy mysteries the 
Church should express by a profound and religious 
silence the admiration she has for her God, who 
thus secretly works them. 

Can we explain the ineffability of these mysteries 
better than by silence? No matter what care may be 
taken to instruct the people concerning the holy sac- 
rifice of the Mass, there will always be a great many 
things beyond our comprehension, which the most 
skillful or learned can never explain, and which should 
be adored in silence. The councils have recommended 



122 



The Meaning of the Mass 



this; they forbid us to break this silence in order that 
each of the faithful prostrated to the earth, may re- 
vere in silence the mystery of the death of Jesus 
Christ, and thank Him for the infinite benefits it has 
procured for us. It is on this account that formerly 
the faithful were excluded from the inner place where 
the mysteries took place, on this account the gates 
of the sanctuary w T ere closed, surrounded with rails 
and partitions, that the large curtains were drawn 
during the prayer of the consecration, which pre- 
vented the people from seeing or hearing anything. 
A profound silence reigned during the sacrifice which 
was broken only by the voice of the deacon, who, 
with a loud voice, cried out : " Holy things are only 
for the holy." It was then to inspire respect and ad- 
miration for the holy mysteries that the Secret and the 
prayers of the canon of the Mass are said in silence. 
But the Church does not intend by this that the faith- 
ful should not take part in this prayer which is pro- 
posed to ask Almighty God to receive favorably the 
gifts upon the altar and that by His grace He would 
enable us to be fit to be presented as hosts or victims 
agreeable in His sight, since the priest invites them at 
the Orate Fratres, which he does not say alone, but 
asks their consent by raising his voice at the end of 
the Secret and saying: Per omnia secula seculorum, 
which words are not the beginning of the Preface, 
but the ending of the Secret. By this exclamation, 
eager to engage the faithful to take part in the prayer 



Suscipe, Sancta Trinitas, up to the Secretae 123 

he is about to say, he breaks the silence and invites 
all the congregation to join with him and answer 
Amen, This response has always been made with 
great earnestness, and St. Jerome tells us that in his 
day it resounded from all parts like thunder. By 
this the faithful showed their consent to all that the 
priest asked God in secret, and they should be firmly 
convinced that they share in all the prayers that the 
priest says alone, and that he has offered to God 
through our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reign- 
eth with the Father and the Holy Ghost world with- 
out end. Amen. 



THE PREFACE AND SANCTUS 



"The Lord hath heard the desire of the poor, thy ear hath 
heard the preparation of the heart." — Psalms 16:17. 

This truth announced by the Royal prophet is 
found in many parts of the Sacred Scripture. God 
hears the simple preparation of the heart, that is to 
say, in order to obtain the graces we stand in need, 
God does not require either a long explanation of our 
evils, nor a touching enumeration of our miseries. 
The wise man also tells us that the efficacy of prayer 
does not consist in many words, and Christ Jesus 
Himself teaches us that when we wish to pray, the 
brevity of our speech is not less essential than recol- 
lection of mind. The Church, well grounded in this 
truth, whenever she prays for us is careful always to 
compress in the fewest words the requirements which 
are most important for our soul; but equally aware 
of the other truth, that God hears the simple prepara- 
tion of the heart, never wishing us to enter upon His 
holy exercise without preparing for it. She does this 
especially in the formula of the Mass which is called 
the Preface, which, properly speaking, is not a prayer, 
but a new invitation to pray. She makes this prepara- 
tion immediately before the canon of the Mass in 

124 



The Preface and Sanctus 125 

order that one may enter into this most interesting 
part of the sacrifice with the holiest dispositions. 

The priest commences the Preface by saying: Per 
Omnea Saecula Saecularum, and adds, Dominus vo- 
biscum, without turning toward the people; it would 
be useless for the priest to turn towards the people 
to say Dominus v obis cum, for instead of the people 
he would see only the curtains. The priest takes leave 
as it were of the people when he says : Orate Fratres, 
Pray, brethren, and considers himself as in the holy 
of holies into which the people were never allowed to 
enter. For this reason he does not turn from the altar 
and consequently teaches us that we should assume a 
respectful position expressive of the religious fear with 
which we should be animated. How great then is the 
sin of those who, instead of being attentive and keep- 
ing their eyes fixed upon the altar on which the Lord 
is about to appear, give way to distraction or turn their 
back to the altar. Their irreverence bears the char- 
acter of those abominations which the Lord points 
out to the prophet Ezechiel, and the impieties of the 
Jews who, when in the temple, instead of praying 
turned their back to the altar and gave themselves up 
to worldly and profane thoughts. These profanations 
are much more sacrilegious on the part of Christians, 
because the Jewish temple was only a figure of our 
temple and the sacrifices which were offered therein 
were only weak figures of the grandeur and majesty 
of the sacrifice of the New Law. 



126 



The Meaning of the Mass 



The priest then continues the Preface by the 
Dominus vobiscum, which is a salutation and a desire, 
the meaning and origin of which we have already 
on a former occasion explained. The priest makes 
it here because a new effort to raise himself up to 
Heaven requires new strength and assistance from 
God. The priest and people wish this help to one an- 
other, the priest then raising his hands says : Sursiim 
cor da, " Lift up your hearts." Words which are 
quoted by all the Fathers of the Church who have 
spoken of the sacrifice. Words which are to be found 
in all Christian liturgies; an invitation ancient as 
the Church herself; words which come to us from 
Apostolic tradition founded on the example of Jesus 
Christ Himself, who before performing any of His 
many miracles, always raised His eyes and His heart 
to His Heavenly Father. This was what He did 
when He raised Lazarus from the dead, when He 
multiplied the loaves and fishes and when He changed 
the bread and wine into His body and blood. The 
Eucharist is a Secret, the sacrifice of the Mass a mys- 
tery, the body and blood of Jesus Christ are con- 
tained under a foreign substance, it contains Jesus 
Christ, truth Himself, but the hidden truth enveloped 
under signs. During our pilgrimage here below we 
cannot have nor can we possess Jesus Christ except 
under a veil. As we see these truths only with the 
eye of faith and as it were under a cloud, so also we 
do not possess His person except under a figure. In 



The Preface and Sanctus 127 

the sacrament He conceals Himself from our sight 
and appears only to our faith. We should raise our 
hearts on high : Sursum corda; raise ourselves above 
sense and nature in order that we may conceive Jesus 
Christ under the species. 

When we believe that Jesus Christ is present, though 
we do not see Him, we have already done a great 
deal, but we must go still higher and desire to see 
Him in His glory; Sursum corda, lift up your hearts. 
If His visible presence during His life on earth was 
so desirable and consoling, what will it be to see Him 
such as He is, to become like unto Him, as says St. 
John? We ask then that He would manifest Himself 
and that the sacraments would become a clear appari- 
tion of His glory. And this is the reason why at this 
august moment, we should renounce all thought, every 
idea of earth. When the priest says : Sursum corda, 
lift up your hearts, it is as if he said : At this moment 
banish all cares of this life; let your mind be applied 
to the great miracle which is about to take place, 
be occupied with God alone and close your heart 
against everyone but the Lord. If these are our dis- 
positions with what truth and with what joy may we 
not say : Habemus ad Dominum We have them lifted 
up to God. A declaration whicix marks the necessity 
of uniting all our attention, all the desires of our 
heart and everything that can raise us up to God in 
order that we may offer the sacrifice worthily. But 
do we speak the truth when we make this answer? 



128 



The Meaning of the Mass 



Should we not rather say what Anastase, the Sin- 
aite, said in the sixth century: What dost thou and 
what dost thou wish? Thy soul is occupied only 
with temporal and corruptible things and you answer : 
I have lifted it up to the Lord. 

When the priest says: Gratias aganus Domino, 
Deo nostro, which means let us give thanks to the 
Lord, our God, he joins his hands and raises his eyes 
to Heaven, to express as far as possible by this ges- 
ture his desire to give thanks to God, and the people 
answer correctly : Dignum et justum est, it is meet and 
just. It is both meet and just to praise Him who 
merits praise, because God, by reason of His divinity, 
requires all praise and thanksgiving. It is then both 
meet and just for a reasonable mind to praise and 
thank Him. 

The priest, extending his hands, continues. It is 
truly meet, just, right and salutary that we should 
always and in all places give thanks to Thee, O Holy 
Lord, Father Almighty, eternal God, through Christ, 
our Lord, through whom the angels praise Thy Maj- 
esty, the dominations adore, the powers do hold in 
awe, the heavens and the virtues of the heavens and 
the Blessed Seraphims do celebrate with united joy. 
In union with whom we beseech Thee that Thou 
wouldst command our voices also to be admitted with 
suppliant confession, saying: Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord 
God of Sabaoth. Heaven and earth are full of Thy 
Glory. Hosanna in the highest; Blessed is he that 



The Preface and Sanctus 129 

cometh in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the high- 
est. This is the common Preface which is said every 
day. There are different ones for the principal sol- 
emnities of the year, in which in a few words the char- 
acter of the festival is noted, to enter into the thanks- 
giving we should make to God. 

Vere dignum et justum est aequum et sahitare. It 
is truly meet and just, right and salutary. The priest 
approves and ratifies what the people say, that it is 
meet and just to thank God; he goes farther than the 
people and adds that it is right and salutary that we 
should always and in all places give thanks to the 
Holy Lord, Thou in whom all things are holy, Thou 
who art the source of sanctity. Father Omnipotent. 
Eternal God. Thou who are the true God, who had 
no beginning and will have no end. Through Christ, 
our Lord. How could we praise Thee worthily if 
our praise and thanksgiving did not derive their merit 
from our Head, our Mediator, who Himself thanks 
Thee, through whom the angels praise Thy Majesty, 
because it is by Him they have been created, it is from 
Him as from their head they derive all their sanctity, 
all the glory which they enjoy. All the heavenly 
spirits constantly adore Thy Divine Majesty; the 
dominations those blessed spirits who are above the 
other angels, the powers who make the very devils 
tremble, tremble themselves, not through fear but 
through profound respect. The heavens and the vir- 
tues of the heavens and all the blessed Seraphim, that 



130 



The Meaning of the Mass 



is to say, all the blessed spirits. The Sacred Scrip- 
ture distinguishes nine choirs of angels, and the 
Church, without naming them in particular, com- 
prises them all when she says the heavens, that is to 
say all who dwell in Heaven, as we would say the 
world, to express the inhabitants of the world. The 
virtues of the heavens, those among the angels who 
perform the greatest wonders, and the Seraphim, 
those who by their love excel all the other Saints. 
Socia exultatione concelebrant. All the holy Saints 
join in praising and adoring God. Cum quibus, etc., 
with whom we pray Thee to ordain that our voices 
may join, we ask for nothing more advantageous 
than to be united with the holy angels to praise God 
with them; but as there is no agreement between 
those spirits, so pure, and unfortunate sinners, no pro- 
portion between the constant praise of the angels who 
suffer no distractions, and our feeble prayers so luke- 
warm, so often broken off, we ask that by the order 
and grace of God we may be admitted to their society. 
Supplici confessions dicentes, by humbly repeating 
with them. This union with the angels so glorious 
does not prevent us from exercising humility as sup- 
plicants and acknowledging that we are unworthy 
of praising God and singing the canticles which fol- 
low; for God rejects the praise of the sinner, and 
Jesus Christ silenced the demon who said to Him: 
" Thou art the Holy one of God." (Luke 4: 34.) 
After the Preface the priest joins his hands and 



The Preface and S arte t us 131 

bowing reverently says: Holy, Holy, Holy is the 
Lord God of Armies. Blesed is He who cometh in 
the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the Highest. 

Heaven and earth are full of Thy glory. This hymn is 
to be found in all the ancient liturgies; the people 
should sing it with the priest (as is done on Sunday 
by the choir) ; from St. Chrysostome we learn that 
the custom was general when he says : How can Chris- 
tians utter words and sing profane songs with the 
same lips that have chanted Holy, Holy, Holy? At 
the Sanctus the bell is rung to warn those present that 
the priest is about to commence the solemn prayer 
of the canon during which the consecration of the 
body of Jesus Christ takes place, and to excite them 
to redouble their attention when the canticle of the 
angels commenced. This hymn has been borrowed 
by the Church from Heaven. Isaias ravished in spirit 
heard it chanted alternately by the Seraphims. St. 
John in his Apocalypse tells us that it is incessantly 
repeated by millions of angels who surround the 
throne, and who never cease to say: Holy, Holy, 
Holy is the Lord God of Armies, that is to say, the 
Lord, the Master of all those millions of angels, the 
Lord of all that is powerful and great in Heaven and 
earth; the Lord, the Sovereign Arbiter of all the 
works of the universe. Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God 
of Sabaoth. This canticle, according to the Fathers, 
is addressed to the Trinity, because the blessed spirits 
say once Lord and once God, but they say Holy three 



132 



The Meaning of the Mass 



times, no more, no less, by which they teach us that 
the three persons of the Trinity are equally honored 
and equal in glory and in nature. 

What we adore in God by this canticle is, His holi- 
ness. This is the most pleasing to God; He is often 
called the Holy One of Israel; He manifests Himself 
as the most holy, the thrice holy. This is the only 
sound that is heard in Heaven. The Son of God 
Himself speaking to His Father, as if to comprise all 
His perfections in one word, calls Him Holy Father. 
He Himself is known as the Holy One. For, said the 
angel to Mary, " The Holy which shall be born of 
thee shall be called the Son of God." (Luc. 1:35.) 
And the prophet Daniel called Him the Holy of 
Holies. 

The priest before saying the Blessed is He who 
cometh in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the high- 
est, raises himself, and makes the sign of the Cross. 
He raises himself because the benediction is an ex- 
clamation of joy which is said standing erect, whilst 
the Sanctus is a kind of adoration which should be 
made in an humble posture. He makes the sign of the 
Cross whilst saying, Blessed is He who cometh in the 
name of the Lord, because it is through the Cross that 
we share in the blessings and graces which have been 
conferred upon the earth. 

We should then bless the Lord and praise Him for 
what He has done for us, bless Him because He is 
about to actually come upon our altar, to give us every 



The Preface and Sanctus 133 

help, and to enable us to praise the majesty of God 
in a worthy manner. Let us then go to Him in 
spirit and say: Hosanna in the highest. Divine Mes- 
siah, Thou who wast sent from the highest heavens, 
save us, it is in Thy name alone that we can find salva- 
tion; say to our souls that Thou art our Savior and 
they shall be saved. 



COMMENCEMENT OF THE CANON 
OF THE MASS 



" From the rising of the sun even to the going down, my name 
is great among the gentiles, and in every place there is a sacrifice, 
and there is offered to my name a clean offering, for my name is 
great among the gentiles, saith the Lord of hosts." — Malachias 
i : ii. 

The name of the Lord is great, and on this ac- 
count the offering made to Him should be clean, those 
who offer it should be irreproachable, and those who 
share it should be exempt from every affection to sin; 
and the manner of offering it should always be uni- 
form. The name of the Lord is terrible, or as the 
prophet Malachias expresses it in the same chapter 
from which the words of my text were quoted, cap- 
able of inspiring a holy fear, and He requires from 
those who honor Him a sincere humility, profound 
recollection and infinite respect. 

The name of God is holy and on this account those 
who wish to honor Him worthily, should join to their 
exterior homage the interior sentiments of adoration 
and love, with a spirit of self-denial and sacrifice. 
The Church endeavors to infuse these sentiments in 
our minds during that part of the Mass which we will 
endeavor to explain, viz. : The canon of the Mass. 
As this part of the Mass comprises all that is most 

134 



Commencement of the Canon 



135 



august in the oblation, we should endeavor to under- 
stand its import and meaning. 

The word canon is taken from the Greek and means 
"rule." Thus the canon of the Mass is a fixed rule, 
the unchangeable order of the Mass, the rule of the 
words of the consecration and all that precedes and 
follows it. This prayer is called the canonical prayer 
or simply the prayer, because in it we ask for the 
greatest of all gifts, which is Jesus Christ, our Lord. 

According to the Council of Trent, the prayers of 
the canon are taken from the words of Jesus Christ, 
the traditions of the Apostles and from the institutions 
of the Popes and Bishops. Some of the ancients have 
placed the book which contains the prayers of the 
canon among the sacred books of the New Testa- 
ment. 

This prayer was never written in the first ages 
of the Church; the bishops and priests were obliged 
to learn it by heart. It was counted among the num- 
ber of mysteries that were kept secret, and never con- 
fided to paper, says Origen. We have already seen 
that whilst the priest recited the canon the gates of 
the sanctuary were closed and that a silence which 
inspired respect and fear reigned throughout the tem- 
ple. 

In later years the Church has placed the canon of 
the Mass in the hands of the faithful. This favor, 
though denied to the Christians, was granted in our 
time for good and wise reasons and should not lessen 



136 



The Meaning of the Mass 



the respect with which we ought to be penetrated 

whilst reading it. 

At the commencement of the canon the priest raises 
his hands and his eyes towards Heaven because he 
is about to address the Heavenly Father, then hum- 
bly lowering his eyes, joins his hands and bows in 
order to assume the posture of a suppliant which cor- 
responds with the word Supplices: He then kisses 
the altar for the nearer the moment approaches when 
the altar will become the place of the body and blood 
of Jesus Christ, the greater is his love and respect. 
He then makes the sign of the Cross over the host 
and the chalice, whilst saying the words: Benedicas 
haec dona, that is, that Thou wouldst deign to bless 
these gifts, these presents, for we ask and obtain 
blessings only through the Cross of Jesus Christ, and 
he makes the sign of the Cross three times, in order 
to bless the offerings as gifts, as presents and as a 
sacrifice, and he then continues the prayer with hands 
extended. The prayer commences with the words: 
Te igitur, and may be translated, " We pray Thee 
with profound humility, most Merciful Father, and 
we ask Thee through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our 
Lord, to accept and bless these gifts, these presents, 
these holy and unspotted sacrifices which we offer 
Thee for the Holy Catholic Church, to which vouch- 
safe to grant peace as also to protect, unite and gov- 
ern it throughout the world, together with Thy serv- 
ant, our pope, or prelate, and all those of the orthodox 



Commencement of the Canon 



137 



faith, and who hold the Catholic and Apostolic faith." 
Te igitur clementissime Pater. The priest addresses 
the Heavenly Father as did Jesus Christ and calls 
Him most Merciful Father, because by an infinite 
goodness and mercy He loved us even so far as to 
give us His only Son. Per Jesum Christum Dominum 
nostrum. We should never ask anything from God 
except through Jesus Christ, our Mediator, and it is 
only through Him that we can obtain the grace neces- 
sary to offer Him in sacrifice. Supplices rogamus 
ac petimus. We most humbly pray and ask Thee, 
when we have no right to exact that which we desire 
we simply pray; and when we have a right, we ask, 
we beseech. Mankind has no right to obtain from 
God what they desire; that is to say, of themselves, 
they can hope for nothing except through grace and 
mercy, and it behooves them to express their wish in 
the most humble prayer. Supplices rogamus, as sup- 
plicants we pray. But the priest, who in this re- 
spect is deputed by Christ and the Church to offer 
sacrifice, and to whom Jesus Christ has said, " Do this 
for a commemoration of me," has a right to ask, 
because he acts in the name of Jesus Christ, and for 
this reason says we beseech Thee that thou wouldst 
accept and bless these gifts, these presents and this 
sacrifice. It is the duty of the priest to offer the 
gifts, but God alone can bless them. There is a 
distinction between gifts and presents. When any- 
thing is given by a superior to an inferior, by the 



138 



The Meaning of the Mass 



Creator to the creature, it is called a gift, and when 
given by an inferior to a superior, the creature to the 
Creator, it is called a present. The bread and wine 
which are on the altar are called gifts with respect 
to God, from whom we receive all good gifts, 
and they are called presents with regard to man, 
who offers them to God. We can only offer to God 
His own gifts. " All things belong to Thee, O 
God," said David, " and we offer Thee that which 
we have received from Thy hands." Haec sunt sacri- 
iicia illibata. These holy and stainless sacrifices, i. 
Because they are selected and separated from every 
other use to be consecrated to God : 2. Because we look 
upon these gifts as about to become the, body of Jesus 
Christ, who is the only holy and unspotted host. In 
primis quae tibi offerimus pro Ecclesia tua sancia 
Catholica. We offer the sacrifice for the whole 
Church of God. Ecclesia tua, Thy Church. For 
that holy Church through Jesus Christ, who washed 
it in His blood, for that Church spread throughout the 
world, the universal, the Catholic Church — quam 
pacificare, custodire adunare et regere digneris toto 
orbe terrarum. That Thou wouldst deign to grant 
it peace, to protect, unite and govern it throughout 
the world. We ask four very important things for 
the Church: 1. That God would give her peace against 
her external persecutors, that she would not suffer 
from the assaults of her enemies ; that He would put 
an end to the conspiracy of hatred and fury which 



Commencement of the Canon 139 

hell and impiety incessantly stir up against her; that 
He would deliver her from the wars whence originate 
all trouble and disorder; that He would support her 
against the raillery of the world, against libertinism 
and contempt, against the scandals which dishonor 
her, against the sins of her own children, who afflict 
her. 2. We ask of God that He would guard the 
Church, that He would sustain her against those who 
attack the foundations of her faith and that the gates 
of hell would never prevail against her. We do not 
mean by this prayer that the doctrine, the worship or 
the ministry of the Church can be destroyed, for they 
will last forever according to the promise of Jesus 
Christ, as we saw when treating of the Apostles' 
Creed. But as Jesus Christ foretold that scandals 
would arise in the Church, that there would be trou- 
blesome and disastrous times for the Church, that 
there would be trials by which even the elect would be 
seduced if such a thing were possible, severe conflicts 
against which Christ Jesus thought proper to assure 
us by promising that the gates of hell would never 
prevail against her, these terrible predictions and 
their still more frightful execution should increase 
our zeal for the Church, and cause us to beseech God 
that He would guard and concede it peace and con- 
cord, security and protection from enemies. What 
does not the history of the past unfold? Schism has 
destroyed the Church in Asia, and Hippo in Africa, 
once the See of the great and illustrious Augustine, is 



140 



The Meaning of the Mass 



no more. What ravages are there not to be seen in 
Europe? Which one of us can say that the King- 
dom of God will not be taken from Him and be trans- 
ferred to others who would bring forth fruit in abun- 
dance? Let us not deceive ourselves. This misfor- 
tune cannot happen to the Church, but not one of all 
the members of the Church can say that will never 
happen in his or her case. Ask we proof of this? 

The third grace which we ask of God for the 
Church is that unity among its members, adunare 
digneris, that He would preserve them from schism. 
Here we pray indirectly for heretics and schismatics. 
The Church prays publicly for them only on Good 
Friday ; and lastly we ask God that He Himself would 
guide the Church; that he would give to the Church 
good pastors. The most terrible of God's judg- 
ments and the surest sign of His wrath against a 
people is when he allows a bad priest to have charge 
over them. For it is principally with respect to pas- 
tors that God permits bad ones in punishment of the 
sins of the people. Qui requare facit hominem hy- 
pocritum propter peccata populi. " Who maketh a 
man that is a hypocrite to reign for sins of the people," 
as says Job, 27. 

Together with our pope, Thy servant, Una cum fa- 
mulo tuo, Papa notro, St. Paul recommends us to 
pray for our pastors — " Remember your prelates. " 
We name in particular and in the first place the Bishop 
of Rome, called in honor and distinction the holy 



Commencement of the Canon 141 

father our pope, that is our father. It is quite proper 
that in praying for the unity of the Church we pray 
for him who is the center of the communion, who 
presides over the Church, and with whom every other 
Church should agree. In order to possess the char- 
acter of a child of the Church and to be in communion 
with the Church each one should be able to say : " I 
am bound in communion with the chair of Peter. I 
know that the Church is built on Peter." " Whoever 
eats the lamb outside of this house is profaned." We 
must not be surprised that the custom of praying for 
the pope by name has been observed in all the Churches. 
The Greeks up to the time of the schism observed it 
the same as the Latins. They always named the pope 
before their patriarch, and considered it as a grievous 
crime when in the division the name of the pope was 
removed from the dyptics, that is the catalogue of 
Bishops and Saints of the Church. The name of 
Dioscorus, the patriarch of Alexandria, has always 
been held in execration in the Church because he was 
the first to remove the name St. Leo from the dyptics 
of the Church. Et Antistite nostro. And our prel- 
ate. After the pope we name the bishop of the dio- 
cese in which we are, for as the successor of St. Peter 
is the center of unity for all the Churches of the world , 
the bishop is the center of unity for all his flock who 
with him form a one Church. And for all orthodox 
believers and professors of the Catholic and Apostolic 
faith. After praying for the unity of the Church it 



142 



The Meaning of the Mass 



is eminently proper to pray in general for those who 
preserve themselves in the purity of the faith. Atque, 
and for all those who labor for the preservation and 
propagation of the faith which the Apostles taught and 
spread throughout the world. 

Mark well this expression, cultoribus, for all the be- 
lievers and professors of the faith. This does not mean 
simply those who make profession of the faith ; it 
means something more than that; it supposes a life 
which corresponds with the faith, for the profession 
of faith does not consist in simply believing what we 
are bound to believe, but in the zeal we should have 
for the truths taught by faith. Faith without works 
is of no avail ; our faith should be active, a faith which 
is the very soul of charity, which will merit for us to 
constitute with Jesus Christ, one and the same host in 
His sacrifice, and to be united with Him in Heaven 
to offer to God the Father the sacrifice of eternal 
praise. 



CONTINUATION OF THE CANON TO THE 
CONSECRATION 



u And I will protect the city, and I will save it for my own 
sake, and for David my servant's sake." — 4 Kings, 19 '.34. 

The prophet David applies these words to the ex- 
ternal works of omnipotence. It is quite certain that 
nothing was made except by the word of God, that 
this word gave to created beings their measure, their 
propriety. He spok£ far different, however, with re- 
gard to man, who can never do anything without labor, 
who can never produce anything without an effort. 
God wills, and creatures spiritual and corporal obey 
His voice without resistance or delay. It is the same 
God who will speak at the moment of consecration and 
whose word will produce effects infinitely more won- 
derful than the world and the miraculous things con- 
tained therein. Up to the present in the Mass, the 
priest in the name of the Church and as her deputy 
invoked the omnipotence of God over the bread and 
wine and prays that they might become through that 
omnipotence the real body and the real blood of Jesus 
Christ, His beloved Son. This consecration com- 
menced is about to be consummated by the word of 
Jesus Christ Himself. The priest having fulfilled the 
functions of minister of the Church, is now about to 
exercise that of the minister of Jesus Christ; he no 

143 



144 



The Meaning of the Mass 



longer speaks in his own name, but pronounces the 
words of Jesus Christ, and consequently it is Jesus 
Christ who consecrates through his lips. These sacred 
words demand on our part the most profound recol- 
lection and religious awe. 

The priest before the consecration wipes the thumb 
and forefinger of each hand on the corporal in order 
that they may be fitted to reverently touch the body of 
Jesus Christ. This action corresponds with the sense 
of the words, and he imitates as far as possible what 
Jesus Christ did when instituting the Eucharist; and 
what He recommended to be done when He said to 
His Apostles : Do this, hoc facite; he then takes the 
bread, saying at the same time, accepit, etc., he raises 
his eyes whilst saying: Elevatis oculis, having raised 
his eyes and bows his head whilst saying, gratis agens, 
giving thanks, and in the person of Jesus Christ pro- 
nounced : " This is my body." This requires a full 
and detailed explanation. 

Qui pridie quam pateretur, accepit panem in sanctus 
ac venerabiles manns snas. Who the day before He 
suffered took bread in His holy and venerable hands. 
How many reflections do not these few words fur- 
nish, who the day before He suffered. On the eve of 
His passion Jesus Christ instituted the sacrament of 
the Eucharist, the night before His death, the very 
night on which Judas plotted the infernal design of 
delivering Him into the hands of the Jews. Why 
did He not institute it after His glorious resurrec- 



Continuation of the Canon 145 

tion? He wished in this mystery to give us a me- 
morial of His death, to transport us to Calvary, where 
His blood was shed. In order that all things might 
correspond with His views, He wished to institute 
this mystery on the very night on which He was be- 
trayed, so that we might never forget the circum- 
stances connected with the occasion on which He gave 
us such substantial proof of His love and tenderness. 
Transport ourselves in spirit to that same night, and 
try to penetrate the frightful preparations for the 
bloody sacrifice of our Lord on this night. Mark 
well this circumstance. 

The Eucharist is a memorial of His death, should 
it not then precede it? No, man whose knowledge is 
limited, and whose foresight is fallible and uncertain, 
must always permit things to transpire before he can 
command them to be remembered; Jesus Christ, who 
knew well what was to happen and what kind of 
death He was to suffer, foretold His death before- 
hand: " This is my body, this is my blood." My 
body given, my blood shed, remember it. Remember 
my love, my sacrifice and the manner in which your 
deliverance was accomplished. 

Moreover, Jesus Christ, when instituting the Eu- 
charist as a memorial of His death, accomplished one 
of the most formal and expressive figures of His sac- 
rifice, that the slaying of the paschal Lamb should 
be accomplished in its most essential circumstances. 
Now, one of the most essential circumstances was the 



146 



The Meaning of the Mass 



slaying of the paschal Lamb before the deliverance 
of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage. Although 
it should be a memorial of it, God so established it that 
the people when performing the Passover should not 
only remember their deliverance, but also that sacred 
memorial had been established the night before this 
great work, and whilst the people were in expecta- 
tion of this great event. 

This new Passover was instituted with the same 
view, and every time we celebrate it we will remem- 
ber it as the mystery which Jesus Christ instituted 
the night before His death, to leave us a memorial of 
His death and to perpetuate it in some manner among 
us. In this circumstance Jesus Christ shows His om- 
nipotence and love for us, and this is what the Apostle 
St. John, without repeating what the three other Evan- 
gelists had written concerning the institution of the 
Eucharist, tells us, that before He died, Jesus Christ, 
knowing that His hour had come when He should 
pass from this world to His Father; as He loved His 
own who were in the world He loved them to the 
end, and knowing that He came from God and that 
He should return to God. These expressions cer- 
tainly prepare us for the change of bread and wine 
into His body and blood, and what meaning can they 
have in the mouth of those who, after these expres- 
sions of love and omnipotence on the part of Jesus 
Christ, would add : " And He gave to each of them 
a piece of bread." But how sublime are these words 



Continuation of the Canon 147 

on the lips of the faithful, who say, with St. John, that 
Jesus, knowing His hour had come, and that He would 
no longer be with His own He always loved most 
tenderly, He wished to leave them His own body as 
the most precious proof of His love, which would help 
them to pass from this world to Heaven. 

In order to leave us His body He took bread. He 
wished to establish a sacrament for the spiritual 
nourishment of the faithful, and to unite them among 
themselves with God, and it was with this intention 
that He took bread and wine, which are the most 
ordinary nourishment and natural symbol of many 
bodies, united in one. He took the bread in His 
holy and venerable hands, to prove to us that the 
change of the bread is made in those same hands that 
worked so many miracles — those hands that gave 
sight to the blind, cured the sick, healed the lame, and 
multiplied the loaves of bread. . . . Ad Deum 
Patrem Suum Omnipotentem — To Thee, O God, His 
Father omnipotent. The omnipotence of the Father 
and of Jesus Christ should here appear in a remarkable 
manner. Tibi gratiam agens benedixit — Giving 
thanks to Thee, He blessed it. The evangelists do 
not speak of the thanksgiving of Jesus Christ except 
in connection with some great miracle; and He 
blessed, that is to say that, by His prayer to His 
Father, and by His own power which He received 
from the Father, He did for the bread all that was 
necessary to change it into His body. Fregit — And 



148 



The Meaning of the Mass 



He broke it. The bread among the Hebrews was so 
then that it was always broken with the fingers when 
distributing it, without using a knife. Deditque disci- 
pulis suis dicens — And He gave it to His disciples, 
saying: "Take ye and eat." The Eucharist is insti- 
tuted as a sacrament for our nourishment, and as a 
sacrifice in which we must share. We must eat of it : 
Ex hoc omnes — Eat all ye of this. These words, 
although not found in the Gospel, have been pre- 
served by tradition and are important to show that 
all the priests who offer the sacrifice should neces- 
sarily partake of communion. 

Take and eat ye all of this. What is meant by 
this? What does the word " this " here used signify? 
Is it the bread which He holds in His hands, and 
which remained bread? No, it is His own body, for 
His words were, " This is my body." Here we see 
the omnipotent word who makes of the bread the 
flesh of the Savior, and His blood of the wine. All 
that is uttered by this word is done at the same in- 
stant that it is uttered. It is this same word that made 
Heaven and earth and all things contained therein. 
This word, pronounced originally by the Son of God, 
has made this of the bread, His body, and His blood 
of the wine ; but He said to His Apostles : " Do this," 
and His Apostles have taught us that it will be done 
up to the consummation of ages. 

And this same word, repeated by the ministers of 
Jesus Christ, will eternally have the same effect. The 



Continuation of the Canon 149 

bread and wine are changed; the body and blood 
of Jesus Christ take their place. The body which 
was given up for us, and the blood which was shed 
for us are upon the altar. This we may consider 
marvelous; there is nothing wonderful in it for Jesus 
Christ, accustomed, as He is, to do all things by His 
word alone. He says : " This is my body ; it is no 
longer bread." It is what He said — His body. " This 
is my blood; it is no longer wine." It is what the 
Savior said — His blood. 

By virtue of this word, nothing remains but the 
body and the blood; if they are united it is because 
they are inseparable since the resurrection of Jesus 
Christ, for since that time He can die no more ; but 
in order to imprint on this Jesus, who can die no more, 
the character of that death which He suffered, the 
word placed the body in one place, the blood in 
another, and each under different species. Behold 
Him, clothed in the character of His death, this Jesus 
formerly our victim by the effusion of His blood, and 
still ours to-day in a new manner, by the mystic sep- 
aration of the body from the blood. 

But how can this change take place? Can a hu- 
man body be confined in so small a piece? If the 
Word will it, who can doubt it? The Word is om- 
nipotent: "He spoke and all things were made." 
But I see nothing new upon the altar. I believe it 
truly. Jesus Christ, whenever He wished, made Him- 
self invisible to men; He passed among them without 



150 



The Meaning of the Mass 



being seen; He came and went, and no one saw Him 
either enter or depart; He appeared and disappeared 
at will. But I see just what I saw before, and if I 
believe my senses there is nothing but bread and wine 
on this mystic table. Is the bread there? Is the 
wine there? No, everything is consumed; an invisi- 
ble fire came down from Heaven ; the Word descended 
upon the altar; everything yielded to Him; nothing 
remains but what He said. But I see the same ex- 
terior — yes, because the Word left nothing but what 
was necessary to point out to us where He should 
take the body from. The Word wished that the body 
of Jesus Christ should appear to us under the species 
of bread, because it was necessary to have something 
to show us where He took the body from. What He 
wished He accomplished. The Word consumed all 
the substance and left only the sacred envelope of the 
body and blood. 

This is the sign which Jesus Christ left us, a sign 
by which we acknowledge that He is truly present, 
for the Word said so. We have no reason to be 
troubled about the manner in which He executed 
what He pronounced, for He can do all that which 
He who sent Him wished Him to do. " He sent the 
word and healed them and delivered them from their 
destruction/' (Psalms 106:20.) Again He said: 
" This is my body." If He wished to leave us simply 
a sign He would have said, " This is a sign of my 
body." If He wished that His body should be with 



Continuation of the Canon 151 

the bread He would have said, " My body is here " ; 
He did not say " My body is here," but " This is my 
body." Here, then, is our sacrifice: that pure obla- 
tion that should be offered up from the rising of the 
sun to the going down of the same, and in every 
nation. How simple is the Christian sacrifice! Some 
bread upon the altar, a little wine in the chalice — 
nothing more is required for the most holy, the most 
august sacrifice that can be conceived. In the sim- 
plicity of the sacrifice we recognize the simplicity of 
Jesus Christ. What do we see in Christ? A man. 
What do we believe Him to be ? God. So, also, what 
do we see in His sacrifice? Bread and wine. What 
do we believe them to be? The body and blood of 
Jesus Christ. After the priest has pronounced these 
words : " This is My body," he adores the sacred 
host he holds in his hands, and bends his knee to the 
ground ; he then rises up and raises the host on high ; 
he exposes it with reverence to the people, to be 
by them adored, and at the same time to represent the 
raising up of Jesus Christ on the Cross; he then re- 
places it on the corporal and genuflects again; at the 
same time the faithful are warned by the sound of 
the bell to prostrate themselves in the presence of 
Jesus Christ. 

After the consecration of the host the priest conse- 
crates the chalice, saying : " In like manner, after 
He had supped, taking also this excellent chalice into 
His holy and venerable hands, and then giving thanks, 



152 



The Meaning of the Mass 



He blessed and gave to His disciples, saying : ' Take 
and drink ye all of this, for this is the chalice of my 
blood of the new and eternal testament, the mystery 
of faith which shall be shed for you, and for many to 
the remission of sins. As often as you do these things 
you shall do them in remembrance of me.' " 

After the supper, that is, after eating of the Paschal 
Lamb, Christ took into His venerable hands this ex- 
cellent chalice, predicted by the Prophet David. This 
excellent chalice, which shall no longer contain the 
shadows and figures of the Law, but the precious blood 
which they signify; and, giving thanks, He blessed 
it, that is to say, He blessed what it contained, and 
changed the wine into blood, and, giving it to His 
disciples, He said : " Drink ye all of this, for it is 
the chalice of my blood, of the new and eternal testa- 
ment." St. Luke distinctly points out two chalices — 
the one used at the commencement of the legal supper, 
and which was not consecrated, and the other at the 
end of the repast, which, according to Jewish rite, is 
called the chalice of thanksgiving, and it is this chal- 
ice which became the true chalice, the true Eucharist 
chalice, since the precious blood of Jesus Christ, which 
it contained, and which we offer in sacrifice with His 
body, is the most excellent gift we can offer in thanks- 
giving to God. 

" This is the chalice of my blood, the blood of the 
new and eternal alliance." What is the meaning of 
this expression, the blood of the alliance? Formerly, 



Continuation of the Canon 153 

in ancient time, when alliances were contracted, they 
were confirmed, sealed, and ratified by the blood of 
the victim slain, and which was sprinkled on the con- 
tracting parties. Thus, the alliance which was formed 
on Mount Sinai between God and man, through the 
ministry of Moses, was sealed and consecrated by 
the blood of victims, and Moses sprinkled the blood 
over all the people and over the book of the law. This 
alliance was only figurative. Jesus Christ announced, 
prefigured by Moses, is come to make a new alliance 
and to confirm it here, not by the blood of animals, 
but by His own blood. He made the alliance after 
fulfilling all the figures, in eating the Paschal Lamb; 
He made it at a feast, when alliances were ordinarily 
made ; He made it when making His dying will and 
testament. There is in this word testament a some- 
thing peculiarly touching for us. Here is a will, in 
which Jesus Christ assures an inheritance, wills us 
the remission of sins, but, in order that we might come 
into possession of that which He wills us, He must 
die. This, even, is not all. The will of Jesus Christ 
should be confirmed and written in His blood, and the 
act which is written is the Eucharist. This is the mean- 
ing of the words of St. Paul, who said not this is 
my blood of the new testament, but " This chalice is 
the new testament in my blood." (i Cor. 11:25.) 
This testament is the mystery of faith. Although 
these words are not found in the Gospel, they have 
been left to the Church by tradition. The grandest 



154 



The Meaning of the Mass 



of all mysteries, and, so to speak, the secret of faith, 
the secret of religion, is that the blood of Jesus Christ 
should be shed for the salvation of the world; as this 
blood contained in the chalice is by excellence the 
mystery of faith, which shall be shed for you and 
for many in the remission of sin. The Savior tells 
us that He will shed His blood, first, for the Apostles, 
the heads of His Church, pro vobis; second, for all 
those who believe and are converted by their preach- 
ing, et pro multis, and although He truly died for all 
mankind, He died especially for the faithful. As often 
as you do these things, Jesus Christ has given power 
to the priests to do what He did : hoc facite. He gave 
them unlimited power; they can exercise it as often as 
convenient. In commemoration of me. The priests 
should perform this great action in commemoration 
of the divine Savior, that is to say, to announce His 
death until He comes, to renew the memory of that 
love which made Him give His life for man, and, 
lastly, to solemnize the divine mystery contained in 
the Eucharist. 

After the consecration of the chalice the priest 
adores the precious blood by making a genuflection ; 
he then rises and elevates the chalice, that it may be 
seen and adored by the people, then reverently re- 
places it on the corporal, covers it with the plate, and 
adores it again by genuflecting. The chalice is raised 
for the same reason as that of the host, in order that 
Jesus Christ may be adored in a simple manner from 
the moment that IT- becomes really present on the 



Continuation of the Canon 155 

altar by consecration. During the elevation the faith- 
ful should prostrate themselves in mind and heart 
before the Sacred Victim, who offers Himself for us 
upon the altar as He was offered on the Cross. But 
what should we do to adore Him? Our senses must 
give place to faith and see in Jesus Christ all the 
mystery of His divinity concealed from our sight. 
This faith is the source of spiritual and interior hom- 
age. Can there be a more profound mystery than our 
sacrifice? Exteriorly, nothing strikes us; interiorly, 
everything is heavenly, all is divine. How, then, can 
we reverence that which we do not see if faith do not 
pierce the veil, and how can we persuade ourselves 
that we have not lost the faith if it does not correct 
our want of respect in the presence of the blessed sac- 
rament? Purify, then, your hearts during these 
august mysteries. Strike your breast, shed tears, cast 
yourselves at the feet of the Savior, water them with 
your tears and leave them not until you have ob- 
tained mercy; implore your Savior to draw you to 
Himself, and let nothing separate you from Him in 
future. He is always the victim of salvation at the 
altar, as well as on the Cross, and the altar, like the 
Cross, is the throne of mercy for the sinner, the 
cause of our deliverance and entrance into Heaven. 
In the hour of danger and temptation, ask Jesus Christ, 
offered and slain for you, to assist and protect you, in 
order that you may triumph by the power of His sac- 
rifice over sin and passion, and by this triumph gain 
for yourselves glory eternal. 



THE CONSECRATION 



"He spoke and all things were made." — Psalms 32:9. 

Mercy alone prompted God to save us. It was be- 
cause He wished it, and not on account of any merit 
of ours, that He delivered himself up for our iniquities 
and made us sharers of His grace. He wished to 
attach the exercise of this mercy to the protection and 
intercession of the saints, and as He Himself is the 
principle of their merit, when we invoke them we can 
apply to God these words : " I will save you, but it 
will always be for my own sake, and to accomplish 
the eternal designs of my goodness towards you. I 
will save it for my own sake." The prayers of my 
elect and my friends will be heard through the merci- 
ful precaution I will take in your regard, and, although 
mercy is eternal, free, and gratuitous on my part, you 
will owe it according to the order of my decrees, to 
the influence and application of my servants. " For 
David my servant's sake." 

Here is the foundation of that communion of saints 
which the Church proposes to us as an article of faith, 
and at the same time a motive for that part of the 

156 



The Consecration 



157 



canon which is called the Communicantes, that is, the 
communicating which I will endeavor to explain. But, 
first, it will be necessary to say a few words concern- 
ing the particular and special prayers which the priest 
and those who assist at Mass recite at the altar for 
those whom they are bound by the ties of nature, 
friendship, and gratitude. 

The prayer Te igitur being ended, the priest joins 
his hands and raises them slightly above his breast ; the 
new grace which he asks from God calls for a new 
elevation of hands, which expresses his desire of be- 
ing heard. For a while he is silent, and with head 
slightly inclined, in order to think more attentively 
of the persons he wishes to recommend to God; he 
then extends his hands and, keeping them elevated as 
before, continues the prayer memento Domine, etc. — 
that is, Be mindful, O Lord, of Thy servants, men 
and women, for all here present whose faith and devo- 
tion are known to Thee, for whom we offer or who 
offer up to Thee this sacrifice of praise for themselves, 
their families and friends, for the redemption of their 
souls, for the hope of their safety and salvation, and 
who pay their vows to Thee, eternal living and true 
God. 

Memento Domine — Be mindful, O Lord. We 
know that everything is present to God, that is to say 
that He knows all things, and we know, also, that a 
remembrance on the part of God amounts to assist- 
ance — f amnio rum famularumque — of Thy servants, 



158 



The Meaning of the Mass 



men and women. After the prayer for the faithful in 
general, the Church leaves the priest free to pray for 
any person in particular. In former days the priest 
named publicly those for whom he wished to pray, 
especially those who made any offering for the sacri- 
fice and the other wants of the Church. At present we 
name the benefactors only in silence ; the priest thinks 
for a short while of those persons for whom he wishes 
or for whom he is bound to pray, especially those who 

( 1 ) by their benefactions, their alms, have contributed 
to the celebration of the divine mystery, for the sup- 
port of the ministers of the Church, and for the poor ; 

(2) for those who desired to be remembered at the 
altar; (3) for those for whom he wishes to ask graces, 
whether spiritual or temporal, inasmuch as they may 
serve for the glory of God and the salvation of their 
soul. Et omnium circumstantium — and for all here 
present at the Mass or sacred mysteries, because their 
eagerness to be present at the Mass supposes a desire 
on their part to be remembered at the altar, and to 
participate in the graces and fruits of the divine sac- 
rifice. . . . Quorum tibi fides cognita est et nota 
devotio — whose faith and devotion are known to Thee. 
The priest prays for all those present in whom God 
sees a true faith and a sincere devotion. The me- 
mento does not include those who are present only 
bodily, those who assist at Mass, merely through cus- 
tom, much less those who assist without attention and 
devotion, without piety, but with a dissipated mind, a 



The Consecration 



159 



mind willfully distracted; with a heart filled with and 
agitated by passion; violently attached to sin and 
crime, without any love of God, without any sorrow 
for past sin, without repentance or even the desire of 
repentance. The essential dispositions are faith and 
devotion; a lively faith which unites the mind with 
the great mystery which is about to take place at 
the altar, a faith which fills the mind with a respectful 
fear and profound recollection. A sentiment of piety 
and devotion which warms the heart of love, pene- 
trates it with gratitude, exhilarating in the ardent de- 
sire of profiting by the sacrifice. Pro quibus ofFerimus 
vel qui tibi offerunt — For those for whom we offer, 
or those who offer to Thee. This has reference to the 
benefactors and those present, for it is true to say 
that the priest offers the sacrifice for the faithful, and 
that the faithful offer it also, either by furnishing the 
matter of the sacrifice or by uniting themselves with 
the priest to spiritually offer, with him, the sacrifice 
of Jesus Christ. Hoc sacriiichim leaudis, this sacrifice 
of praise. The bread and wine which the priest, on 
the part of the people, has already been called the 
unspotted host, because the Church has only in view 
what the bread and wine are to become by the conse- 
cration, namely, the body and blood of Jesus Christ, 
which are the true sacrifice of praise. Pro se suisque 
omnibus. The Church is not content with praying 
simply for the benefactors and those present — she en- 
ters into all their desires and indicates that they can 



160 



The Meaning of the Mass 



pray to God for themselves, and for all those who are 
bound to them by the ties of blood or friendship, 
suisque omnibus and for all theirs. Order requires 
that one should pray for it for himself, then for others, 
for charity begins at home, and the same order re- 
quires that we ask for the goods of the soul before 
those of the body, and for this reason we say pro re- 
demptione animarum suanim, for the redemption of 
their souls, pro spe salutis, to obtain salvation for 
which they hope, et incolumitatis sitae, and for the 
preservation of their health — these three kinds of fa- 
vors come to us through Jesus Christ and by His 
sacrifice. Tibique reddunt vota sua, aeterno Deo vivo 
et vero, and who pay their vows to Thee, eternal liv- 
ing and true God. 

The faithful who offer the sacrifice by the hands 
of the priest pay at the same time their vows to God, 
as the sole author of their life and goods; they offer 
their vows in offering themselves; for what are the 
first vows we owe to God? Ourselves, we have been 
devoted to Him by becoming His children in baptism, 
and we should devote ourselves constantly to Him by 
our adoration and love. 

After the Memento, the priest, remaining in the 
same position, says the prayer Communicantes, that is, 
communicating with and honoring in the first place 
the memory of the glorious and ever Virgin Mary, 
Mother of our Lord and our God, as also of the blessed 
Apostles and Martyrs, Peter and Paul, Andrew, 



The Consecration 



161 



James, John, Thomas, James, Philip, Bartholomew, 
Matthew, Simon, and Thaddeus, Linus, Cletus, Clem- 
ent, Xystus, Cornelius, Cyprian, Chrysogonus, John 
and Paul, Cosmas and Damian, and all the saints by 
whose merits and prayers grant that we may be always 
defended by the help of Thy protection, through the 
same Christ, our Lord, Amen. The priest joins his 
hands when saying the words " through the same 
Christ, our Lord/' to redouble his fervor in naming 
Jesus Christ, our Mediator, by whom he hopes to be 
heard. 

Commnnicantes, participating in the same commu- 
nion. We show by these words that we enter into 
communion with all the members of the body of Jesus 
Christ in general, et memoriam venerantes, and honor- 
ing the memory in recalling the memory of the saints 
we add the manner in which we may enter into com- 
munion with them, so that they may pray for us, and 
that God may grant to their prayers and intercession 
the help of which we stand in need. This is an ad- 
mirable policy on the part of the Church, who knows 
what God does in favor of the saints, and which we 
would not dare hope that He would do for us. The 
Scripture teaches us (4 Reg. 19) that God told King 
Ezechias, through the Prophet Isaias, that He would 
save Jerusalem in spite of the formidable army of the 
Assyrians, on account of David, His servant; and we 
know that the Israelites have often called God to their 
assistance by praying to Him to be mindful of Abra- 



162 The Meaning of the Mass 

ham and Isaac and Jacob. The Church does the 
same in recalling the memory of the saints to render 
God favorable to our requests. In primis gloriosae 
semper virginis Mariae, genitricis Domini Nostri Jesu 
Christi. It is quite proper that the Mother of our 
Savior and our God should be placed at the head of 
all the saints. The Church very often makes mention 
of her in her prayers, and it is principally in the holy 
sacrifice that she should make remembrance of her, 
since the divine victim of our altar is flesh of her 
flesh. In all the Eastern Churches, commemoration 
has always been made of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 
a manner which marks the admiration of the faithful 
for her, on account of her prerogatives and her power 
with God, and in our liturgy she is placed above all 
creatures : First, gloriosae, by the great glory which 
God has made to shine forth in her; second, Semper 
virginus, the only one who was always a virgin, al- 
though she was truly a mother — Mother of God, 
because she is the Mother of Jesus Christ, who is God. 
Sed et beatorum apostolorum ac Martyrum, Petri et 
Pauli — As also of Your blessed Apostles Peter and 
Paul. We honor the memory of the twelve Apostles, 
because they are the pillars of the Church, the first 
who had the happiness of sharing in the holy sacri- 
fice and the power of offering it in the commemora- 
tion of Jesus Christ; to them we join St. Paul, because 
Rome never separates Paul from Peter, although Paul 
was not an Apostle until after the death of Jesus 



The Consecration 



163 



Christ; nevertheless he learned from Christ the insti- 
tution of the holy sacrifice. 

To the twelve Apostles we add twelve other mar- 
tyrs, who, in the shedding of their blood, have proved 
themselves faithful followers of the Cross, all cele- 
brated martyrs at Rome : Linus, Cletus, and Clement, 
who were cotemporaries and successors of St. Peter 
at Rome ; Xystus and Cornelius were popes and mar- 
tyrs; Cyprian, the first bishop of Carthage, celebrated 
for his learning and his great desire to die for Jesus 
Christ; St. Laurence, archdeacon of Rome, whose 
charity for the poor and the martyrs will always be 
honored by the faithful, Chrysogonus, an illustrious 
Roman who suffered martyrdom under Diocletian; 
John and Paul, brothers, born at Rome, who were 
put to death, under Julian the apostate, for having 
refused to offer sacrifice to idols ; Cosmas and Damian, 
physicians and surgeons, who gave their services for 
charity and as a means of gaining souls to Jesus Christ, 
and, lastly, we make commemoration of all the saints 
in general by asking that it would be pleasing to God 
to make us feel His protection through their merits 
and prayers. We have already many times said that 
the saints pray only through Jesus Christ, and that 
they have no merit except through Jesus Christ, so 
it is always through the mediation of Jesus Christ 
that we have recourse, and this prayer, like all other 
prayers, ends through the same Jesus 1 Christ, our 
Lord. Amen. 



164 The Meaning of the Mass 

In the Old Law, those who offered sacrifice to God 
put their hands on the head of the victim before slay- 
ing it, wishing by this action to testify that they substi- 
tuted this victim in their place, to suffer the death 
they merited, and at the same time they prayed that 
God would regard the sacrifice of their heart and look 
favorably on the offering they make of the victim about 
to be slain, and to grant them through it the remis- 
sion of their sins or whatever else they thought proper 
to ask for. In imitation of this the priest, about to 
offer the mystic immolation of the body and blood of 
Jesus Christ, in the name of the people for whom and 
with whom he offers, holds his hands over the bread 
and wine, about to be changed into the body and 
blood of Jesus Christ. By this ceremony he offers 
himself and the whole Church to God, through Jesus 
Christ, who is about to be mystically slain in order to 
obtain, through His mediation, peace in the present 
life : Diesque nostros in tua pace disponas. The grace 
of being preserved from the greatest of all evils, eter- 
nal damnation: Atque ab aeterna damnatione nos 
eripi, and, lastly, that He would vouchsafe to com- 
mand that we be numbered among the elect: Et in 
electorum tuorum grege numerari. Happy they who 
every day make the request from God with the priest 
at Mass to be counted among the elect. Per Dominum 
nostrum Jesum Christum, Amen : through Jesus Christ, 
our Lord, who is soon to be really present on the altar 
for the sanctification of the faithful. 



The Consecra ti on 



165 



And now we come to the most important part of 
the sacrifice of the Mass, namely, the consecration — 
that is to say, the prayer which precedes words by 
which the bread and wine are changed into the body 
and blood of Jesus Christ, by which He is made really 
present on the altar. Would it not be better for us 
to simply believe this and be silent to adore, in pro- 
found silence, all these words, rather than undertake 
to explain them? Mortal man can never understand 
them. 

Yet it would be well for us to see what Jesus Christ 
commanded us to do. He wished us to do the same 
that He himself did when He instituted the sacra- 
ment: Hoc facite — Do this. What did He do? 
What did He say to make His body present? The 
Evangelists, as well as St. Paul, tell us that He prayed, 
that He blessed the bread and wine before He broke 
and gave it to His disciples, and as He commanded 
them to do what He did, the Church has always under- 
stood that we should bless the Eucharistic bread and 
say all that Jesus Christ said, and pronounce the same 
words that He pronounced. 

The Evangelists do not tell us how Jesus Christ 
invoked the omnipotence of His Father and employed 
His own in blessing the bread to transubstantiate it 
into His body. We see only that by returning thanks 
and blessing it that He sanctified it. But the Church, 
knowing that we should do what Jesus Christ did, 
and say what we know He said, prescribes a certain 



166 



The Meaning of the Mass 



prayer for the priest, by which to envoke the omnipo- 
tence of God. Tradition teaches that this prayer is 
necessary for the consecration and should be added 
to the words of Jesus Christ. " Let us not be content 
with the words selected by the Apostle/' says St. 
Basil, " for the consecration of the Eucharist, but let 
us add other words before and after, as having a force 
for the mysteries which we have learned only from 
the written law." 

The Church does not attach as much virtue to the 
words she added to the consecration as she does to 
those of Jesus Christ. It is an article of faith that 
the substance of the bread and wine is changed 
at the moment the words of Jesus Christ are pro- 
nounced by the priest, but it is essential for the sac- 
rament that the intention of the Church who offers 
it should be made known, and that her ministers should 
express what she wishes and desires. 

From this we can see the importance of the prayer 
which I will endeavor to explain; it comes to us from 
Apostolic tradition and belongs in part to the conse- 
cration. To understand the full signification and ex- 
tent of the prayer we should bear in mind that the 
Church has in view not only the oblation of bread 
and wine, which is to become the body and blood of 
Jesus Christ, but, likewise, the oblation of herself, that 
of the priest, and of those present at the Mass who 
are joined to the oblation of the souls in Heaven and 
on earth. 



The Consecration 



167 



The priest commences this prayer with hands joined, 
and separates them only to make the sign of the Cross 
over the gifts to be offered, by which he announces 
beforehand the death of the Savior, of which the 
consecration is only a continuation; these blessings 
are accompanied by the words " Quam oblationem," 
that is, which oblation Thou, O Lord, vouchsafe in 
all things to make blessed, approved, ratified, reason- 
able, and acceptable, that it may become for us the 
body and blood of Thy well-beloved Son, Jesus Christ, 
our Lord. " Quam oblationem tu Deus, in omnibus, 
quaesumus benedictam." When Jesus Christ blessed 
the bread in instituting the Eucharist He changed it 
into His body; we ask that God, by His omnipotence, 
would impart His blessing to the bread and wine to 
change them into the body and blood of Jesus Christ, 
and that thus the oblation upon the altar might become 
the divine victim, replete with every blessing celestial, 
and that they might be communicated to us, so that 
the oblation of ourselves might also be blessed by the 
infinite goodness of God. Adscriptam, that is, that 
the oblation upon the altar might be approved, that 
God would be pleased not to reject it, and that the 
oblation we make of ourselves might also be approved 
with that of Jesus Christ and the saints. Ratam, that 
the oblation on the altar might be ratified so as to be 
permanent and irrevocable, that is to say, that it might 
become that victim that will never change, neither 
like the ancient sacrifices of animals which have been 



168 The Meaning of the Mass 

revoked, nor like all other bodies which may be de- 
stroyed, and which last only for a while; that our 
oblation may be permanent and irrevocable, in binding 
ourselves to God in such a manner that we may never 
have the misfortune of being separated from Him. 
. . . Rationabilem, reasonable. Before Christ, no 
one ever made such a request of God, because it was 
only irrational animals that were offered in sacrifice. 
We ask that the host upon our altar would become a 
human victim, and the only one endowed with reason. 
We ask at the same time for our oblation, that it might 
be endowed with reason and intelligence, and that we 
may become reasonable victims, perfectly submissive 
and obedient to God. . . . Acceptabilem que dig- 
neris. That it may be agreeable. That thus the obla- 
tion of our altar may become the only victim which, 
of itself, is worthy of being infinitely agreeable to God 
in becoming the body of His well-beloved Son; we 
ask, also, that our oblation may become, from day 
to day, more agreeable in the sight of God, our Sov- 
ereign Lord. Ut nobis corpus et sanguis fiat dilectis- 
simi Filii tui Domini Nostri Jesu Christi, that it may 
become for us the body and blood of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, and, lastly, the Church asks the great miracle 
of the change of the body and blood of Jesus Christ. 
How forcible is the expression here used: Ut fiat; 
it is equally simple, " That it may be done." This is 
the expression used in Scripture for creation, the 
prodigy of God's omnipotence : Fiat lux, let there be 



The Consecration 



169 



light. It was also the expression used by the Virgin 
Mary to indicate the incarnation of the word, " Be it 
done unto me according to Thy word." The Church 
does not pretend to offer to God simply bread and 
wine. If she offers bread and wine it is that they 
may become the body and blood of Jesus Christ in the 
Eucharist as true and as real as that which took place 
in the chaste womb of the Virgin Mary at the moment 
of the conception and incarnation of the Son of God, 
and this is why the word fiat is used to point out a 
true and real action. And this is what is meant in 
the Greek liturgy when they pray to God, as we do, 
to make the bread and wine the body and blood of 
Jesus Christ they ask expressly that the bread may be 
made the very body of Jesus Christ and the wine His 
very blood. 

We do not ask simply that the bread and wine may 
become the body and blood of Jesus Christ, but that it 
may become such for us : Ut nobis fiat, that is to say, 
in order to communicate to us the gifts which Jesus 
Christ merited for us by His sacrifice, the grace of a 
full pardon of our sins and all the help necessary for 
salvation. And as when it is said in Isaias : " A Son 
is born into us, a child is given to us/' we understand 
that He is born and given for our salvation, so we 
ask that this oblation may become the body and blood 
of Jesus Christ for our sanctification in this life, and 
our consummation and . eternal happiness in Heaven. 
Amen. 



CONTINUATION OF THE CANON AFTER 
THE CONSECRATION 



" Be mindful, O Lord, of the word spoken to thy servant, that 
word which strengthened my hope/' — Psalms 118:49. 

These words of the prophet should give us an idea 
of the sentiments with which the words of the con- 
secration should inspire our hearts and minds. They 
are truly the words of the Lord, since they were pro- 
nounced by Him to whom all power is given in Heaven 
and on earth and in hell. They were really addressed 
to His servants, since He commanded us to respect 
them after Him. They are words of hope and life, 
since the great mystery they effect had for its end to 
restore to life those who are dead in sin, and to awaken 
the confidence of those who, at the sight of their many 
crimes, might be drawn to despair. We may then say 
to our Lord: We have done as commanded by You, 
that which Thou commandest by assisting at the great 
sacrifice wherein the words You have taught us to 
produce their effect. May these words make upon them 
the most salutary impression in favor of Thy servants, 
and do not permit the confidence which they inspire 
to become fruitless. With these sentiments we pass 
from the elevation to the prayers which follow it. 

After the consecration the priest holds his hands 

170 



After the Consecration 



171 



extended whilst he recites the prayer " Unde et me- 
mores," that is, Wherefore, O Lord, we, Thy servants, 
as also Thy people, calling to mind the blessed pas- 
sion of the same Christ Thy Son our Lord, His resur- 
rection from hell, and glorious ascension into Heaven, 
offer unto Thy excellent Majesty of Thy gifts and 
grants, a pure host, a holy host, an immaculate host, 
the holy bread of eternal life, and the chalice of ever- 
lasting salvation. The priest makes the sign of the 
Cross when he says pure host, holy host, immaculate 
host; the signing of the Cross which follows the con- 
secration should be distinguished from those which 
preceded. The sign of the Cross before consecration 
had for its end to implore grace from God, or as 
sign by which we expect grace through the Cross of 
Jesus Christ; but after the consecration, everything 
is blessed, we simply offer. We make the sign of the 
Cross on the gifts of the altar only to show that they 
are the real body of Jesus Christ. The Church omits 
no opportunity of impressing on the mind of the 
priest and those who assist at Mass that the sacrifice 
of the altar is the same as that of the Cross ; she wishes 
to represent Jesus Christ immolated on the Cross. 
Now, in order to produce this effect she wishes that 
all the words which designate the body or the blood 
of Jesus Christ should be accompanied with the sign 
of the Cross, which shows that the host and that which 
is contained in the chalice are the same body that was 
crucified and the same blood that was shed on the 



172 



The Meaning of the Mass 



Cross. Thus, when we make this prayer we make 
the sign of the Cross five times; when saying a pure 
host we signify by that that it is the same pure host 
that was nailed to the Cross ; the second, when saying 
a holy host, that it is the same holy host that was 
sacrificed on the Cross; the third, immaculate host, 
that it is the spotless host which was offered on the 
Cross ; the fourth, a holy bread to signify that it is the 
holy bread of life, that is to say, the same who said " I 
am the true bread, who came down from Heaven and 
who died on the Cross to purchase life for us " ; the 
fifth, the chalice of salvation, that the blood which is 
in the chalice is the same that was shed on the Cross. 
Unde et memores. The priest, having consecrated in 
the person and by the words of Jesus Christ, continues 
his prayer in addressing the Heavenly Father, as be- 
fore the consecration; he represents to Him that it is 
order to obey the command of Jesus Christ Himself; 
that he and those present at the Mass are occupied in 
remembering what He suffered in His passion. Nos 
servi tut, we, Thy servants. The priests and the min- 
isters at the altar are in an especial manner the ser- 
vants of God, Sed et plebs tua sancta, as also of Thy 
holy people. The priests always speak of themselves 
in an humble manner and with respect for the assist- 
ants. They call them the holy people because they 
are called to sanctity, they are the holy nation, and 
because they are supposed to live as Christians. They 
are also supposed to be at this moment occupied with 



After the Consecration 173 

the mysteries of Jesus Christ, tarn beatae passionis, 
as also of Thy holy passion. We represent to our- 
selves the sorrows, the humiliation, and all the oppro- 
brium that our Savior suffered. His passion is called 
most holy because it washes away the sins of the world ; 
because it is the source of all good, and in freeing us 
from our sins it merits for us eternal life. We should 
be occupied with this mystery because the sacrifice of 
the altar is the passion of Jesus Christ and His resur- 
rection from hell. The passion of Jesus Christ is ex- 
pressed on the altar by the separation of His body 
and blood, which are consecrated separately; which 
shows that the Savior is present there under the signs 
of His death and the shedding of His blood. But this 
separation is only mystical; Jesus Christ is there truly 
living ; His body and blood are really present under the 
species of bread and wine ; so that we cannot celebrate 
this mystery without being reminded of His resur- 
rection. " Jesus Christ, having arisen, dies no more," 
says St. Paul (Rom. 6:5, 9); it is impossible, then, 
that in the sacrifice of the altar He could be deprived 
of life. By this word resurrection from hell we mean 
that Jesus Christ arose after He had been placed in 
the tomb, and after He had descended into Limbo, 
Sed et in coelos gloriosae ascensionis, and of His glo- 
rious ascension into Heaven. The ascension is the 
consequence of what was due to Jesus Christ arisen, 
and as a consummation of the sacrifice which He of- 
fered to His Father. It is in Heaven that He achieved 



174 



The Meaning of the Mass 



the sacrifice by offering Himself continually for us. 
Now the Eucharist contains all these mysteries be- 
cause Jesus Christ offers truly then the same as He 
was offered on earth, and as He is offered in Heaven ; 
we should then commemorate all these mysteries, since 
He is sacrificed on our altar by the consecration. Of- 
ferimus praeclarae majestati tuae, we offer to Thy 
most excellent Majesty, in view of these great mys- 
teries, and to render thanks for all Thy gifts and 
favors, de Hits donis ac datis; the victim is worthy of 
these which we hold in our hands a gift which You 
w r ere pleased to give Thyself; we could not present it 
to Thee if Thou didst not first give it to us. But 
what are these gifts and grants we offer Thee? They 
are no longer the gifts and presents which the Church 
offered at the commencement of the canon of the Mass ; 
they are no longer the bread and wine ; their substance 
has been changed. They have become the body and 
blood of Jesus Christ; this body and blood have been 
formed out of substance offered before, and which 
she received from God. The Greeks express this in 
two words in their Liturgy. After pronouncing the 
sacred words of Jesus Christ, they continue: We 
offer Thee the things which belong to Thee, made of 
things which belonged to Thee : Tua extuis, that is to 
say, the body and blood of Thy Son, formed out of 
bread and wine, which were Thy creatures. Words 
which express the nature of the oblation, wherein is 
offered to God a substance, that is to say, the body and 



After the Consecration 



175 



blood of Jesus Christ, formed of another substance, 
namely, that of bread and wine, and this is what we 
mean by the words we offer to Thee this holy host, 
made of things which we received from Thee. 

It is by these gifts and grants that we offer a pure 
host, because it has been formed by the operation of 
the Holy Ghost, without ever being able to contract the 
least stain of original sin. Hostiam sanctam, a holy 
host, because it is united substantially with the Divin- 
ity. Hostiam immaculatam, since by this union it is 
incapable of being soiled by any actual sin. Panem 
sanctam vitae aeternae et calicem salutis, a victim 
which is the holy bread and the drink of eternal sal- 
vation given by God to make us a true life in this 
world and to enable us to arrive at the happy and 
eternal life when we depart hence. The real pres- 
ence and transubstantiation could not be more clearly 
marked out than they are in this prayer, and as this 
prayer comes to us from most ancient times, since it 
has been recited in all times and in all churches, we 
must conclude that faith in real presence and tran- 
substantiation was in all times and in all churches. 

The priest, continuing the canon, recites the prayer : 
Supra quae propitio, that is, upon which vouchsafe to 
look with a propitious and serene countenance and to 
accept them as Thou wert graciously pleased to accept 
the gifts of Thy just servant Abel, and the sacrifice 
of our patriarch, Abraham, and that which Thy high 
priest, Melchisedech, offered to Thee a holy sacrifice, 



176 



The Meaning of the Mass 



an immaculate host. " Supra quae propitio ac sereno 
vulta et respicere digneris." Upon which deign to look 
with a propitious and serene countenance. The gift 
upon the altar is the object of the complacency of the 
Eternal Father ; but is offered by the hands of a sinful 
man, who may be displeasing to God, for God regards 
those who offer as well as the gifts which are offered. 
We implore God, in His goodness, not to separate us 
from the gift of the victim which we offer Him on the 
altar ; that is to say, that as He is propitious to the vic- 
tim who is infinitely pleasing to Him, He would be 
pleased in considering that victim to be propitious 
to those who have the honor of offering it to Him and 
to accept as He did the fruits of Thy just servant, 
Abel. By this prayer the Church asks God to be 
pleased to accept the gifts which the priests offer 
Him on the altar, as He was with the gifts of Abel, 
the sacrifice of Abraham, and the offering of Melchis- 
edech. These holy men were pleasing to God, and 
holy dispositions with which they made their offer- 
ings to Him made their offerings agreeable in His 
sight. Happy the priest and the people who, by the 
holy dispositions of their heart, please God when they 
offer Him in sacrifice the victim who always pleased 
Him. But how can we make any comparison between 
the sacrifice of the Patriarchs and the sacrifice of the 
Church in which our Lord Jesus Christ is offered? 
This is a great mystery which needs to be developed. 
The doctrine of the Church is that Jesus Christ has 



After the Consecration 177 

always been offered on earth ; that there is but one reli- 
gion ; that there is but one only Savior in whom man- 
kind have been reconciled with God ; that the sacrifice 
of the Old Law was agreeable to God only inasmuch 
as it represented the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. So that 
the difference of the Old Law and the New consists 
in this, that in the Old Law, Jesus Christ was of- 
fered figuratively, and in the New Law He is offered 
in reality. There were a great many figures of the 
sacrifice of Jesus Christ which were very expressive, 
but in the canon the Church relates the sacrifice of 
Abel, of Abraham, and Melchisedech, which especially 
represent this sacrifice. Abel offering the first-born 
of his flocks expresses the sacrifices of Jesus Christ, 
who offered Himself as the first-born by excellence; 
and the blood of Abel, the just and innocent, put to 
death by his brother Cain represents Jesus Christ put 
to death by the Jews, or, rather, according to the 
Scripture and the fathers, it is in the person of Abel 
that Jesus Christ, the spotless Lamb, has been sacri- 
ficed from the beginning of the world, Et sacrificium 
Patriarch ae nostri Abrahae : and the sacrifices of our 
Patriarch Abraham. The Church has here in view the 
great and wonderful sacrifice which Abraham made 
of his only son, Isaac, in binding him, placing him 
upon the altar and raising the knife in obedience to 
God. Isaac, sacrificed without losing his life, was a 
figure of Jesus Christ immolated, in order to take a 
new life. Abraham is called a patriarch because, on 



178 



The Meaning of the Mass 



account of his faith and obedience, God made him 
the father of many nations and gave him a number- 
less posterity. . . . Et quod tibi obtulit summess 
sacerdos tuus Melchisedech, and the sacrifice of Thy 
high priest, Melchisedech. Melchisedech is called the 
high priest on account of the excellency of his priest- 
hood and of its conformity with that of Jesus Christ; 
he is represented in Scripture without genealogy, king 
of justice, king of peace, priest of the Most High, 
offering bread and wine, and resembling Jesus Christ. 
It is according to his priesthood that Jesus Christ is 
made High Priest forever, the Savior having sworn: 
Thou art a priest forever, according to the order of 
Melchisedech. Sanctum sacriilcium immaculatam hos- 
tiarn, a holy sacrifice, a spotless host. We must re- 
mark here that the sacrifice of Melchisedech was not 
simply one of the sacrifices of the Old Law which 
figured the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, but it was the 
sacrifice which Jesus Christ Himself continued, so to 
speak, and the figure of which He perfectly fulfilled, 
since the matter of this sacrifice, which was bread and 
wine, was continued in the exercise of the priesthood 
of Jesus Christ, established a priest forever, according 
to the order of Melchisedech. 

All the other prayers of the canon, with the excep- 
tion of the words of consecration, are said with hands 
raised, the priest standing erect before the altar, but 
the prayer which follows is said with head bowed 
down and hands joined, that is to say, the priest pros- 



After the Consecration 



179 



trates himself before the divine Majesty as far as 
the action the sacrifice will permit. At the words 
ex hac altaris participatione, he kisses the altar and 
makes the sign of the Cross over the host, saying 
corpus, that is, body, and another over the chalice, 
sayng sanguinem, that is, blood, in order to point out 
that here is the same body that was nailed to the 
Cross and the same blood that was shed. He makes 
the sign of the Cross, saying: Omni benedictione 
coelesti, because we cannot hope for blessings except 
through the merits of Jesus Christ crucified ; and then 
continues the prayer: Supplices te rogamus, etc., that 
is, we most humbly beseech Thee, O Almighty God! 
Command these things to be carried by the hand of 
Thy holy angel to Thy altar on high, in the sight of 
Thy divine Majesty, that as many of us as participate 
at this altar shall receive the most sacred body and 
blood of Thy Son, may be filled with all Heavenly 
benedictions and through the same Christ, our Lord. 
Amen. 

Supplices te rogamus. We beseech Thee. The 
Church makes this prayer in the name of those who 
are about to communicate, the priest makes it as an 
humble suppliant, omnipotens Deus, Almighty God. 
Whenever we ask anything important from God, we 
always address Him Almighty, lube haec perferri, 
command that these things be carried. These things 
signify what we see and mean, consequently the body 
and blood of Jesus Christ. Veneration and awe would 



180 



The Meaning of the Mass 



be more appropriate than discussion. If we take 
these words literally, " Command these things to be 
carried to Thy altar on high," we must understand 
that these sacred emblems should be carried to Heaven, 
we muit consider that the body of Jesus Christ, which 
we receive in communion, should not be annihilated. 
Jube haec perferri. The Church believes that Jesus 
Christ alone is worthy to present these holy gifts, 
she ardently desires that he would present them Him- 
self in order that the oblation may be agreeable, both 
on the part of the gift and of Him who presents it. 
This desire causes the Church to say command, O 
God, through respect for Jesus Christ, the Son of 
God, the Church does not say, command Jesus Christ, 
Thy Son, but says simply: command this body and 
blood to be carried and presented by the hands of 
Thy holy angel. We ask the holy angel to present 
them, the angel by excellence, the holy angel of God, 
the angel of high council, the angel of the Testament, 
who is Jesus Christ our Lord. It is also through re- 
spect that the Church, not wishing to name Jesus 
Christ directly, deigns Him also simply by the words 
"Thy Angel." The word angel means sent; Jesus 
Christ was the one sent by excellence, He is the Mes- 
siah, which means the one sent in sublime altare 
tuum, in conspectu divinae majestatis tuae, up to the 
high altar of God, in presence of Thy divine Majesty. 
What is this high altar which Jesus Christ continues 
to offer Himself? Where is it located? For there 



After the Consecration 



181 



is here greater than an altar distinct from the minis- 
terial altar on which He is offered on earth. It 
would require a separate discourse to develop this 
question, and then we would have only a faint idea 
of it, and from this there would spring up a thousand 
questions, one more incomprehensible than the other. 
In a few words, this high altar is Jesus Christ, the 
man God; thus He is designated in many places in 
the Apocalypse, and the question is decided by the 
principle laid down by Jesus Christ Himself, that the 
altar of the sacrifice should be more holy than the 
gifts and the victim offered on it. Which is the 
greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? 
According to this principle it is necessary that the 
altar to which Jesus Christ should be carried should 
be more perfect, more holy than His humanity which 
is offered upon it, but nothing created is capable of 
being the altar of the humanity of Jesus Christ, and 
this altar can be nothing else than the person or the 
substance of the word to which it is closely united. 
It is on this altar that all the parts of the sacrifice are 
accomplished. Where is the temple in which this 
altar is placed? It is not in Heaven, because St. 
John, to whom God showed the altar, the victim and 
the sacrifice of the Church, appeared surprised be- 
cause he did not see the temple. " And I saw no 
temple therein " (Apoc. 21:22). The temple in 
which the altar is placed is none other than the bosom 
of God the Father. The bosom of God alone is a 



182 



The Meaning of the Mass 



temple worthy of Him as being more holy than the 
humanity of His Son, who is offered to Him, and be- 
ing the principle and source of all sanctity. This is 
truly the temple which sanctifieth the gift. " Whom 
the Father sanctified and sent into the world," are 
words read in St. John 10: 36. 

Jesus Christ is then at one and the same time the 
victim of His sacrifice, the altar on which it is pre- 
sented to God, and the angel who carries it thither. 
But if the priest, the victim and the altar are in the 
bosom of God, why do we ask the gifts to be carried 
to Heaven, since they are there already? We must 
enter into the spirit of this prayer. There is ques- 
tion of those who receive communion, who partici- 
pate in the sacrifice of the altar of our temple, in order 
that all those who participate at the altar will receive 
the body and blood of Jesus Christ in receiving the 
Heavenly benedictions and all the marks of the pro- 
tection of God, and especially the grace which sancti- 
fies. But in order that grace and benediction may be 
conferred upon us by virtue of the sacrifice the vic- 
tim must be carried to the throne of God, and be 
placed in presence of the divine Majesty. God must 
receive it, and in consequence of His acceptance this 
victim draws the blessing down upon those who have 
offered Him. 

The sense of this is that judging ourselves un- 
worthy to present this spotless host to God, we be- 
seech Him to be pleased that Jesus Christ, whom we 



After the Consecration 



183 



offer to Him on our material altar, and who con- 
tinually offers Himself in Heaven for us, the offering 
of His body and blood which we make on earth, so 
that in participating at this altar we receive this 
sacred body and blood we may be filled by Him with 
his grace and benedictions. Amen. 



END OF THE CANON OF THE MASS 



" Have pity on me, at least you my friends, because the hand of 
God hath touched me." — Job 19:21. 

These words were addressed by the most patient of 
men, the holy man Job, to his friends, who, alas, were 
but too insensible to his misery. The Church makes 
use of them from time to time to awaken our atten- 
tion with regard to those of our brethren who after 
edifying us here by a regular and Christian life, un- 
dergo in that place of expiation the sentence of mer- 
ciful justice. The sanctity of God, incompatible with 
the slightest stain of sin, forces His paternal tender- 
ness to draw from His presence and to purify by the 
avenging flames the souls of those just whose pen- 
ance had not been proportionate to their daily weak- 
nesses. Still He does so as a Father, who, whilst he 
chastises, regrets that He is forced to do so, and who 
wishes to be appeased, since He has established in 
His Church a means of comforting the afflicted souls 
and, lest insensibility or forgetfulness might lead us 
to lose sight of the help, we can procure them. Jesus 
Christ Himself has wished that in the very sacrifice 
of the Mass we would make a special mention of their 
wants, by a memento which is commonly called the 

184 



End of the Canon of the Mass 185 

commemoration of the dead. This prayer prescribes 
a new order of duties; it requires special dispositions 
when reciting it. 

When the priest says: Memento etiam, Domine, 
etc., he raises his hands and joins them above his 
breast, to testify his great desire to obtain the new 
grace which he asks by this prayer, which in English 
is : " Be mindful also, O Lord, of Thy servants, men 
and women, who are gone before us with the sign of 
faith and who slumber in the sleep of peace " (here 
the priest prays in silence for those whom he in- 
tends to pray, and then continues): "To Thou, O 
Lord, and to all who rest in Christ, grant, we be- 
seech Thee, a place of refreshment, light and peace 
through the same Christ, our Lord. Amen/' 
Memento etiam, Domine. Be mindful also, O Lord. 
I said in a former instruction that remembrance on 
the part of God amounted to assistance. Before the 
consecration we asked the divine assistance for the 
living because they could join with the priest and 
offer with him and through him the holy host victim 
of the body of Jesus Christ, and by His grace pre- 
pare to share in the communion; but the dead are 
no longer able to offer, to communicate, to merit, or 
prepare themselves, they can only share in the fruit 
of the sacrifice and receive its application; we do not 
then implore divine assistance for those until after 
the consecration, because it is this participation, this 
application that we ask for them, since Jesus Christ 



186 



The Meaning of the Mass 



is present on the altar, and we offer Him to His 
Father, and since by His acceptation He confers His 
graces and benedictions. 

It is this communion thus understood that the dead 
are capable of. The sacrifice of the Eucharist is the 
sacrifice of the whole Church, all the Church conse- 
quently should communicate and participate in it. 
The souls who suffer in purgatory are a part of the 
Church, a part of the mystic body of Jesus Christ, 
and can therefore participate in the sacrifice. But 
how do they participate in it? By receiving through 
its efficacy the application of the merits of the death 
of the Son of God, which He continues to offer on 
the altar, and the help they need to perfect their 
satisfaction to divine justice, and then enter into the 
communion of Saints in Heaven. 

These souls have already participated in this sacri- 
fice as many times as the grace of God and the spirit 
of Jesus Christ have been communicated to them. 
They have been, as it were, really sacrificed in their 
death with Jesus Christ, for the Christian who dies 
in charity, being united to that of Jesus Christ, be- 
comes in some manner a sacrifice which consumes 
them; and when the sacred fire of charity which they 
had at the hour of their death is sufficiently strong to 
consume all their imperfections and all their stains, 
they pass from that moment into the venerable tem- 
ple of God, who receives them as a sacrifice agree- 
able in His sight, and who receives them into His 



End of the Canon of the Mass 187 

bosom as a part of his own host who is Jesus Christ, 
according to the prayer which He made for His 
elect on the day of His sacrifice. " That where I am 
they also may be with me." (John 17: 24.) 

But when the fire of charity is not sufficiently strong 
to purify them and fit them to be offered to God with 
Jesus Christ in Heaven, the fire of purgatory sup- 
plies it, and there they burn, the relics of their faults 
are there consumed; this purification and this con- 
sumption are often hastened by the charity of Jesus 
Christ and that of His Church. When they are per- 
fectly purified they enter into the place of refresh- 
ment, of light and peace, they communicate perfectly 
with God, as God, who in some manner communicates 
with them by receiving them into His bosom. 

How admirable is this divine harmony of the 
Church on earth! How well it responds to the end 
of the sacrifice of the Mass! The Church offers her- 
self in sacrifice with Jesus Christ. She unites with 
the Church in Heaven to make this offering; she asks 
relief and deliverance for the Church in purgatory, 
so that these three Churches are united in Heaven 
under Jesus Christ, their common head, they have 
but one heart, and a one voice to love, praise, bless 
and glorify God during all eternity, which is the great 
end of the Christian religion. 

Who are the faithful for whom we ask God's help ? 
and for whom we offer the sacrifice? Those who 
died in the love of Jesus Christ, and who merit to 



188 The Meaning of the Mass 



be called His servants, male and female. Memento 
etiam Domine famulorum famularum que tuarum. 
Among the dead there are those who upon leaving 
this world enter into the enjoyment of God and His 
glory; we do not pray for them, on the contrary, we 
ask their prayers. Neither do we pray for those who 
die without the faith that worketh by charity. In 
vain would we offer the works of religion for them, 
because they have not received the grace of the sacra- 
ments, or perhaps they received them in vain, that is, 
without the nght and proper dispositions, and they 
have amassed for themselves treasures of wrath, not 
of mercy; but we pray for those who, dying in the 
faith of the love of God, in the communion of the 
Saints and who not yet enjoying the happiness and 
glory of Heaven, need the prayers of the Church, 
either because they have not satisfied all the temporal 
punishment due to sin, the eternal punishment of 
which was remitted in the sacrament of penance, or 
because they are yet guilty of some faults which must 
be expiated. 

In ancient times it was customary to name the per- 
sons for whom the priest intended to pray; but at 
present all that is required is for the priest really to 
make the commemoration: qui nos praecesserunt cum 
signo fidei, who have gone before us with the sign 
of faith. The Church prays only for those who die 
with the marks of faith, and sleep the sleep of peace. 
The death of those persons is called a sleep, because 



End of the Canon of the Mass 189 

they must rise up again for eternal life; it is also 
called the sleep of peace, because they die in the com- 
munion with the Church, which was always called 
peace. To die in peace, according to ancient mode of 
expression, was to die in communion with the Church, 
in the unity and society of the Church, without being 
separated by heresy, schism or by mortal sin; Ipsis, 
Domine, and Thou, O Lord, that is to say those for 
whom in particular the priest intends to pray, et 
omnibus in Christo quiescentibus, all those who re- 
pose in Jesus Christ. The Church wishes also that 
we should pray in general for all the faithful; locum 
refrigerii lucis et pacis, a place of refreshment, light 
and peace. We ask for them a place of refreshment, 
because the souls in purgatory suffer excruciating 
pains, and an abode of light and peace from which 
darkness and trouble are banished, because they are 
in a state of sadness, of trouble and oppression. Per 
eumdem Christum Dominum nostrum. The Church 
asks this grace through Jesus Christ our Lord, who 
descended into hell to draw forth the souls of the 
just and lead them to Heaven. 

When the priest says: Nobis quoque peccatoribus, 
he raises his voice slightly in order to call the atten- 
tion of those assisting and cause them to enter into 
the sentiment which the words express ; he then strikes 
his breast, a very natural gesture, by which he ac- 
knowledges himself a sinner and guilty. He then 
continues to pray, which is : " And to us sinners, Thy 



190 



The Meaning of the Mass 



servants, hoping in the multitude of Thy mercies, 
vouchsafe to grant some part and fellowship with 
Thy Apostles and martyrs, with John, Stephen, 
Matthias, Barnabas, Ignatius, Alexander, Marcellinus, 
Peter, Felicitas, Perpetua, Agatha, Lucy, Agnes, 
Cecilia, Anastasia, and with all Thy Saints into whose 
company we beseech Thee to admit us, not consider- 
ing our merit, but freely pardoning our offenses 
through Christ our Lord." Nobis quoque peccatobus, 
and to us sinners. Having prayed for the souls in 
purgatory, the priest asks the same grace for him- 
self and for all those who assist at the holy sacrifice; 
aware of his own unworthiness, he prays and strikes 
his breast and like to the publican spoken of in the 
Gospel, acknowledges himself a sinner. He raises 
his voice slightly in order that those present may hear 
him, join with him, humble themselves and implore 
divine mercy. In order that this action may not be 
an empty sign, strike your breasts as the priest does, 
enter into sentiments of humiliation and compunction 
which will express this avowal of your miseries and 
sins : Nobis quoque peccatoribus, to us sinners. Ask 
that your unworthiness may not prevent you from 
being united with the Saints who reign in Heaven. 

But is it not presumption on our part to ask God 
to admit us among the number of His Saints, whilst 
at the same time we acknowledge ourselves sinners? 
Undoubtedly, such would be the case if we counted 



End of the Canon of the Mass 191 

on our own merits, and, if we placed our confidence 
in ourselves, but we represent to God that, although 
we have the misfortune of being sinners, we also 
have the honor of being His servants, famulis tuis; 
that we are in a way to be favored by His grace be- 
cause we confide in His infinite goodness and on the 
multitude of His mercy, " de multitudine meseratio- 
num tuarum sperantibus " — hoping in the multitude of 
Thy mercies. It is then with profound humility that 
we ask Him to deign to associate us with His holy 
Apostles and martyrs. Before the consecration we 
made a memento of the communion of Saints, in 
which it was necessary to offer the universal sacrifice 
of Heaven and earth. In this prayer we make men- 
tion of them only to ask God to grant us some share 
of their eternal happiness. We here name many 
Saints of different states which are in the Church: 
St. John the Baptist, of the order of Prophets; St. 
Stephen, of the order of Deacons ; St. Matthias, of the 
Apostles ; St. Barnabas, a disciple of the Apostles ; St. 
Ignatius, a bishop; St. Alexander, a pope; St. Mar- 
cellinus, a priest ; St. Peter, an exorcist of the order of 
Clerics; St. Perpetua and St. Felicitas, married per- 
sons; Sts. Agatha, Lucy, Agnes, Cecilia and Anas- 
tasia, who were virgins; et omnibus Sanctis tuis, and 
with all Thy Saints. We name all the other Saints in 
general and humbly ask God to admit us into their 
society. And we add that He would grant this grace 



192 The Meaning of the Mass 



not in consideration of our merits, but in mercy 
towards us, non aestimator meriti, sed veniae largi- 
tor. We pray that God would not regard our mer- 
its, because that which appears good in our eyes is 
very often bad in the sight of God. All our merits 
are only a pure effect of God's grace and mercy 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

The priest concludes the canon by saying: Per 
quern haec omnia, etc., that is: By whom, O Lord, 
Thou dost always create, bless and give us good 
things, through Him and with Him and in Him 
is to Thee, God the Father Almighty, in the unity 
of the Holy Ghost all honor and glory for ever and 
ever. Amen. The priest makes the sign of the Cross 
at each of these requests to show that it is through 
the Cross that we receive all the good things we ex- 
pect of the goodness and mercy of God; he uncovers 
the chalice and genuflects to adore the precious blood ; 
he makes three crosses with the host over the chalice, 
saying: through Him, with Him and in Him, to 
show by this that every time we say Him we mean 
that the host and the chalice contain the same Jesus 
Christ who was slain on the Cross; he makes two 
other crosses with the host outside of the chalice, 
saying: all honor and glory belong to Thee, O God, 
the Father Almighty, in the unity of the Holy Ghost. 
When we name God the Father and the Holy Ghost, 
who are not personally united to the precious body 
and blood, the sign of the Cross is made outside of the 



End of the Canon of the Mass 193 

chalice to show that the sacrifice of the Cross of Jesus 
Christ is the highest gift we can offer to the honor 
and glory of the Divinity. 

At the words " All honor and glory belong to Thee," 
the priest raises the host and chalice a little. This 
raising of the sacred species accompanies the words 
which express the honor and glory we should pay to 
God. Up to the twelfth century there was no other 
elevation in the Mass of the body and blood of Jesus 
Christ except this. The priest raised them sufficiently 
high that the people might see and adore Jesus Christ 
by whom all honor and glory is paid to the Trinity. 
This ceremony took place a short time before the 
communion and was very solemn. The gates of the 
sanctuary were opened, the heavy curtains which con- 
cealed the sanctuary during all the canon were drawn 
aside, and the priest presented the sacred mysteries 
to the adoration of the faithful; but since the custom 
of elevating the host and chalice after the consecration 
has been introduced, this second elevation is no longer 
so solemn; the priest raises the thalice and host 
slightly above the altar to preserve a vestige of the 
ancient custom. 

Having explained the ceremonies which accompany 
the conclusion of the canon, let us take the words 
separately in order that we may determine their sense : 
Per quern, through whom, it is through Jesus Christ 
that God grants us every grace and favor ; haec omnia 
semper bona creas, Thou dost always create these 



194 



The Meaning of the Mass 



good things. It is through Jesus Christ that God the 
Father has created all things, the bread and wine 
become the body and blood of His Son, not only in 
creating them at the commencement of the world, but 
is continually renewing them, semper, always by mak- 
ing the earth produce every year new grain, new 
grapes. Sanctificas. It is through Jesus Christ that 
the gifts offered on the altar become sacred and are 
separated from common uses; vivificas, it is by Jesus 
Christ that God vivifies them by changing them into 
the precious body and blood; benedicis et praestas 
nobis, it is through Jesus Christ that God confers a 
Heavenly blessing on the bread and wine and that 
having thus blessed them He gives it to us to be for 
us our life. Per ipsum et cum ipso, it is also through 
Jesus Christ, with Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ 
all honor and glory are given to God the Father Al- 
mighty, through Jesus Christ as the true mediator 
between God and man, with Jesus Christ as God 
equal to God; in Jesus Christ as consubstantial with 
the Father. 

Then the priest, raising his voice, says: Per omnia 
secula seculorum, world without end. These words 
do not belong to the Pater Noster, the Our Father, 
but are the conclusion of all the prayers of the canon. 
The priest pronounces them aloud in order that all 
present may give their consent. All that was said 
was said in the name of the people present, all those 
who compose the assembly should pray and speak in 



End of the Canon of the Mass 195 

the same spirit; they should consequently subscribe to 
all that is contained in the canon and say Amen. 

Up to the thirteenth century this was the only 
Amen in the canon, and if since that time others have 
been added, they are to be said by the priest alone; 
whilst this amen should be said aloud by all present 
at the sacrifice. What faith, what piety, what fervor 
is contained in this one word! It is an act of public 
adoration, of union with the holy host, in a word, of 
all the sentiments expressed in the prayers which the 
priest recited alone. This Amen teaches the people 
that they are all priests, that they constitute but one 
and the same priest with Jesus Christ in the oblation 
which is made at the altar on earth of His body and 
blood. But let me ask you what meaning is there in 
the word, if during the canon you were neither atten- 
tive nor devout. What rashness for you to dare pro- 
nounce it. Do you not condemn yourselves? Let 
it then be the expression of your faith, of your adora- 
tion, of your union with Jesus Christ. In pronounc- 
ing it with these dispositions you will merit \ to be 
united with the great of Saints St. John saw before 
the throne of God and at the feet of the Lamb, 
clothed in white garments and holding palm in their 
hands, who, prostrating themselves, adored God, say- 
ing Amen, benediction, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, 
honor and power to our God, world without end. 
Amen. 



THE PRAYERS WHICH FOLLOW THE 
CANON UP TO THE AGNUS DEI 



" And it came to pass that, as he was in a certain place praying, 
when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him : Lord, teach us 
to pray, as John also taught his disciples." — Luke 11:1. 

In the different ceremonies which accompany the 
august sacrifice of our altar, the Church leads us suc- 
cessively from the preparation to the instruction, 
from the instruction to the oblation, from the oblation 
to the consecration; and now by the prayer which we 
are to consider, she introduces us to that part of 
the Mass which should serve as a preparation for 
the communion. Here we might ask why did not the 
Church place the Lord's prayer at the head of all 
prayers which compose the liturgy, since it is the 
model of all our supplications to the Lord ? The cus- 
tom of the primitive Church will serve as an answer 
to this question. The Lord's prayer was the last 
prayer taught to the Catechumens, and then only 
immediately before the administration of baptism. 
It was looked upon as a prayer that belonged espe- 
cially and peculiarly to the children of God, and those 
who were not of that number were considered un- 
worthy of it. The custom of the Church to recite 

196 



From the Canon to the Agnus Dei 197 



the Lord's prayer aloud in that part of the Mass at 
which the infidels were not allowed to be present, for 
the prayer is always said in a low tone of voice when 
they can assist, is a vestige of this same spirit. By 
this the Church gives us to understand that the faith- 
ful should be already strengthened in their faith be- 
fore confiding to them a prayer which would be of 
no use to them unless the spirit of faith directed its 
terms. Moreover, she considers this prayer a sum- 
mary of all the requests a Christian can make, and all 
the dispositions which should lead to the altar. And 
this is the reason why the Church recites the Lord's 
prayer as a preparation for communion, and, in order 
to enter into her views, let us study the sentiments 
with which we should be animated whilst reciting it. 

I do not intend to explain this prayer and its dif- 
ferent petitions, as it will form a separate course of 
instructions to be treated hereafter. 

I have already said that the Lord's prayer is a 
preparation for holy communion. Nothing is better 
calculated to dispose the Christian to unite himself 
with God, and to receive His grace, than this prayer, 
since it contains all that we can ask of Him, and every 
motive of our love for Him, for our neighbor and 
for ourselves. When this prayer is recited in the 
Mass there is always a preface to it, in order to im- 
press upon the minds of the faithful the sentiments of 
respect with which they should recite it, for we would 
not dare call God our Father unless Jesus Christ com- 



198 



The Meaning of the Mass 



manded us so to do. The priest commences by say- 
ing Oremus, that is, let us pray, and then with hands 
joined he continues the preface to the Our Father, as 
follows : " Instructed by Thy saving precepts, and 
following Thy divine institution we presume to say 
Our Father. Praeceptis salutaribus moniti. In- 
structed by the salutary precepts. The petitions to 
the Father are precepts, because Jesus Christ has com- 
manded us to make them. " Thus shall you pray," 
said the Lord, and these precepts are salutary, be- 
cause they contain all that we can ask for our salva- 
tion. — Et divina institutione formati, and following 
the divine institution given us. Jesus Christ not only 
gave us rules for prayer, He was pleased also to give 
us the form of prayer. — Audemus dicere, we presume 
to say. This prayer raises us to so high an honor 
and contains so great an advantage for us in permit- 
ting us to call God Our Father, that we would not 
dare do so if our divine Lord Jesus Christ had not 
commanded us, and even dictated the terms. 

This preface is very ancient; it is to be found al- 
most word for word in the writings of St. Cyprian, 
who says that among his salutary precepts and divine 
commands Jesus Christ gave us the form of prayer 
and instructed us as to what we should ask for. The 
Church commands us to recite this prayer at the time 
Jesus Christ, who is the author of it, is present on the 
altar, to obtain for us from His Heavenly Father all 
that it contains. 



From the Canon to the Agnus Dei 199 

In solemn Masses the clergy and people, and in low 
Masses, the minister for the people who assist at Mass, 
say : Sed libera nos a malo, but deliver us from evil, 
and the priest in a low tone of voice answers, Amen. 

At all other times when the priest prays for all, the 
people answer Amen, but in this case, the priest an- 
swers Amen. Now, why this different custom? Amen 
on the lips of the priest has a particular signification; 
he answers it in a low tone of voice, because he repre- 
sents Jesus Christ, who is the Amen, that is to say, 
the seal, the truth, the accomplishment of all the prom- 
ises, the merit, the price and efficacy of the prayers 
of the Church, the foundation of our hope. The priest 
who at the altar stands as mediator between God and 
the people, speaks to God in the name of the people, 
and speaks to the people on the part of God. And 
for this reason when the priest recites the prayer aloud, 
each one present should join his intention with Jesus 
Christ, who prays for all in the person of the Cele- 
brant; each one raising up his heart to God to ask 
Him for the grace and assistance of which he stands 
in need, and this is why the people instead of saying 
Amen, answer: lead us not into temptation, and then 
the priest, speaking on the part of God, says Amen, 
as he would say God sees your faith and the sincerity 
of your prayer, your prayers are heard, and God 
grants what you have asked Him in the name of His 
Son, and by the virtue of His sacrifice. 

Among all the petitions contained in the Lord's prayer 



200 The Meaning of the Mass 

the Church stops only at the last, which is the abridg- 
ment and the recapitulation of the whole prayer in 
which we ask to be delivered from all evil. The 
Church gives greater scope to these petitions, to teach 
us that, although the Lord's prayer contains all that 
we can and all that we should ask, nevertheless, God 
does not refuse to hear us if moved by any particular 
good, or frightened by any particular evil; we de- 
termine to speak to Him with greater concern, pro- 
vided the object of our prayer relates to His glory 
and our salvation. 

This prayer was added to the Our Father in the 
first ages of the Church, and is to be found in the 
most ancient books which were used at the altar. It 
would seem that the Church in all the words which 
compose this prayer had in view the persecutions 
which she suffered from the idolatrous emperors; it 
speaks of evils past, present and future; it asks for 
peace, exemption from all sin and tranquillity of mind 
in order to be able to serve God with greater liberty. 
It would seem also that the faithful had a high idea 
of this prayer, and that this idea was inspired by the 
special care and attention which the Church paid to 
its recitation. It is pronounced in a louder tone of 
voice than all the other prayers of the canon of the 
Mass, doubtless in order that those present might 
join in and follow it, and the custom is still pre- 
served of saying it on Good Friday in the same tone 
as the Collects, because on that day consecrated to 



From the Canon to the Agnus Dei 201 

bring to. our minds the mystery of our Redemption, 
because the Church reunites all the objects of the 
other prayers which she said separately at other parts 
of the year; this prayer comprising them all, the 
Church wishes that this day the prayer should be said 
with greater solemnity. 

This prayer is : " Deliver us, O Lord, we beseech 
Thee, from all evils past, present and to come, and 
by the intercession of the Blessed and ever glorious 
Virgin Mary, Mother of God, together with Thy 
blessed Apostles, Peter, Paul and Andrew and all 
the Saints, mercifully grant peace in our days, that 
by the assistance of Thy mercy we may be always free 
from sin, and secure from all disturbances, through the 
same Jesus Christ our Lord, Thy Son, who with Thee 
in the unity of the Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth 
God, world without end, Amen. 7 ' 

Deliver us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, from all past 
evils. The past evils are our past sins. What un- 
easiness should they not give us ! These evils are the 
bad effects caused by sin, and for which we are re- 
sponsible; they are the impressions and traces they 
have left upon the mind and on the senses. The pres- 
ent evils are those which actually afflict us either in 
mind or body, such as temptation or sickness and gen- 
erally all the evils that come to us from within or 
without, whether we feel them or not. Evils to come, 
future evils ; future evils are those which might come 
to afflict us beyond our strength, but especially those 



202 



The Meaning of the Mass 



we fear for the future, as the natural consequences 
of our sins, and which are the temporal punishments, 
as afflictions, disgrace, and above all others, the eter- 
nal punishments reserved for the reprobate. 

The Church asks not only for deliverance from sin 
which, properly speaking, is the only evil, and of 
which all other evils are only consequences, but she 
asks also for peace, which is the abridgment of all 
good things. Mercifully grant peace in our days. 
By this peace was meant in the early Church deliver- 
ance from persecution, which was the source of a 
great multitude of sins, as well on the part of the 
persecutors as the persecuted. By this peace we ask 
also to be delivered from all disturbances, capable of 
preventing us from serving God in tranquillity. We 
ask principally for peace of heart, which is the most 
essential disposition for those who are about to re- 
ceive communion. Peace with God, which consists 
in perfect reconciliation with Him who is the end of 
the sacrifice of Jesus Christ; peace with ourselves 
by the overthrow of our passions, our inordinate de- 
sires and our lust, which is the effect of the sacrifice; 
peace with our neighbor, by a charity full of mildness 
which is the example Jesus Christ gave us in His sac- 
rifice. 

This is the peace we ask of God, by imploring the 
most powerful assistance, the intercession of the most 
Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, Mother of the 
God of Peace, and who is the ordinary resource of the 



From the Canon to the Agnus Dei 203 

Church ; the intercession of the three first of the Apos- 
tles, who on the part of Jesus Christ have announced 
peace to the world, and the intercession of all the 
Saints, who, being in the bosom of happiness itself, 
are most zealous to procure it for us. 

This is the peace for which the priest asks when 
making the sign of the Cross, to give us to understand 
that it is by the Cross that Jesus Christ, who is our 
peace, has destroyed by this body we are about to 
receive, everything that can trouble it, " For He is our 
peace, breaking down the middle wall of partition, 
the enmities of the flesh." (Eph. n 114.) 

It is this double peace, peace of mind and peace 
for the Church that we ask of God in this prayer, and 
which we expect from Him only through the help of 
His mercy and grace perfectly gratuitous. As peace 
of heart cannot subsist with sin, the Church asks to 
be always delivered from it, and as persecutions, wars 
and dissensions do not take from her every kind of 
true peace, but are, on the contrary, a great source of 
advantage to her. She does not ask to have absolute 
peace from the world, as is the case with sin, to be 
always delivered from trials, injustice, afflictions and 
calamities, but to preserve in the midst of trials and 
persecutions that tranquillity, that confidence and 
firmness which enable her to triumph over her ene- 
mies. This is the end or aim of the prayer, which 
terminates as usual with the words: per eumdem 
Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum. Through the 



204 



The Meaning of the Mass 



same Jesus Christ our Lord, who is our God and our 
Redeemer. 

During the conclusion of this prayer, the priest 
according to a very ancient custom of the Church 
breaks the host. In the action of the sacrifice the 
Church does not omit anything which Jesus Christ 
did in His sacrifice. It is said of Him that He broke 
the bread, and when the Apostles speak of com- 
munion they call it breaking of bread. " The bread 
which we break is it not the communion of the body 
of our Lord?" (i Cor. 10:16.) It is also said of 
the Apostles that they broke the bread from house to 
house. (Acts 11:46.) In the Latin Church, the 
host is divided into three parts, one of which is put 
into the chalice. Formerly the priest took the second 
part to give communion to himself and those assist- 
ing at the Mass, and the third part was kept to be 
brought to the sick. To avoid any inconvenience 
which might arise from breaking the host for the 
communion of the people, a number of small particles 
are now consecrated. 

The breaking of the host is accompanied with a 
desire for peace which the priest expresses aloud by 
saying, " May the peace of the Lord be with you 
always." Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum. From 
this prayer up to the communion the Church con- 
stantly asks of God that double peace, peace of the 
soul with God and with our brethren, by charity and 
the forgiveness of sins, and peace of the Church with 



From the Canon to the Agnus Dei 205 

regard to the world, by the suppression of persecu- 
tions and dissensions; and then the priest wishes for 
the people not the peace of the world, but the peace 
of the Lord, pax Domini, and expresses this wish 
by holding in his hands the sacred body of Jesus 
Christ, by whom all things have been pacified. He 
makes the sign of the Cross three times, in honor 
of the three divine persons who grant us peace in con- 
sideration of the merits of the Cross. These crosses 
are made over the chalice from side to side, lest any 
fragment of the host might fall outside. 

Having said aloud, " May the peace of the Lord 
be with you always," the assistants answer, " and with 
thy spirit." The priest then drops into the chalice 
the broken part of the host. This is a very ancient 
custom, being marked out in all the liturgies and 
councils. The priest mixes the body and blood of 
Jesus Christ, consecrated under the species of bread 
and wine for a mysterious reason, which is to mark 
the reunion of the body and blood of Jesus Christ and 
His glorious resurrection. Up to this part of the 
Mass the Church expressed only the death and pas- 
sion of Jesus Christ by the separate consecration of 
His body and His blood. According to the Council 
of Trent, it is quite certain that by virtue of the sacra- 
mental words pronounced over the bread, the body is 
consecrated alone, and that by virtue of the sacra- 
mental words pronounced over the chalice, the blood 
is also consecrated alone. It is, however, an article 



206 



The Meaning of the Mass 



of faith that this separation is only mystic, and that in 
reality the body is not without the blood, nor the 
blood without the body, since the body of Jesus Christ 
is truly a living and glorious body. Now it is very im- 
portant that the death of Jesus Christ and His glorious 
resurrection should be represented in the sacrifice, be- 
cause the sacrifice of our altar is the renewal of the sac- 
rifice He offered by dying on the cross and which He 
offers now living in Heaven. The body and the blood 
consecrated separately are the sign of His death. The 
body and blood reunited is a sign of the life which He 
took at the time of His resurrection, for the species 
of the wine penetrating the species of the bread repre- 
sents to us that the body and the blood remain to- 
gether and are united as in a living body. 

When the priest drops the particle of the host into 
the chalice, he says, " May this mixture and consecra- 
tion of the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ 
be to us who receive it effectual to eternal life." 

We ask by this mixture, which is a symbol of the 
mutual union of the body and blood of Jesus Christ, 
for eternal life, which is promised only through the 
body and blood of the Redeemer. 

Let us not content ourselves with desiring the peace 
of the Lord in this life, let us carry our lives still 
farther and by this prayer wish that full perfect and 
eternal peace which the Saints enjoy as the reward of 
their conflicts and victories. This peace is the effect 
of the sacrifice which is offered by the consecration 



From the Canon to the Agnus Dei 207 

and consummated by the communion of the body and 
blood of Jesus Christ, of which the mixture of the 
consecrated species is a sign, prefiguring the mixture 
which will take place in God and man, by the perfect 
and eternal communion of Heaven, in which the 
Saints are perfectly consecrated, sacrificed to God 
and consummated in His unity and peace. 

What, then, should be our dispositions when we re- 
ceive communion, since by participation in the holy 
victim, there is made a mixture of God and man? 
Should they not be holy since by reason of the transi- 
tory connexion of the body of Jesus Christ, which is 
made here below, we may one day be united to God in 
glory? 



AGNUS DEI 



" The next day John saw Jesus coming to him, and he said : 
Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who taketh away the sins of 
world." — John 1 129. 

This testimony given in favor of Jesus Christ by 
John the Baptist to the people who came to hear him 
and receive his baptism, must have been astonishing 
to the Israelites. Not, however, because the prophets 
had not designated the promised Messias under the 
figure of a lamb; but because the carnal-minded Jews 
could not reconcile the magnificent ideas they had 
formed of their Redeemer, with the simplicity of this 
figure. For us, far from being scandalized at this 
figure, we recognize in it the true character of Him 
who was slain for us, we know that He is truly the 
lamb chosen of God to be the only victim of propitia- 
tion given to mankind, to inspire them with mildness 
and docility. Thus when the Church speaks these 
words or rather when she invokes Jesus Christ in 
this quality, it is not difficult for us to give to this 
prayer the meaning which it contains and to incite in 
us those sentiments which would make it useful for 
us. But what is of great importance for us to study 
on this occasion, is the connection which exists be- 
tween this prayer and those which precede it, and fol- 

208 



Agnus Dei 



209 



low it. By this prayer we commence an essential 
part of the Mass, viz. : the communion : it prepares the 
priest for it, and the assistants by pronouncing the 
words give to Jesus Christ testimony of their confi- 
dence and humility, when they come from the heart, 
well calculated to form the disposition which the 
preparation for our sacred mysteries requires. Let 
us then following this idea learn to recite this prayer 
with the sentiments prescribed. 

The goodness of Jesus Christ is such towards us, 
that it comes from Heaven to bring us peace: He 
has freed us from all our iniquities; He took them 
upon Himself and expiated them by nailing them to 
the Cross, and by that means reconciled us with God. 
He is present on the altar, we should then approach 
Him with confidence, we should implore His mercy 
and ask His grace that we might receive Him worth- 
ily, and with Him the assurance of life eternal. Strik- 
ing our breasts with sorrow and repentance mingled 
with confidence and gratitude, we should say with the 
Church : " Lamb of God who takest away the sins 
of the world have mercy on us." We should redouble 
our eagerness until through His mercy He obtains 
for us reconciliation with God, and the peace we de- 
sired. " Lamb of God who takest away the sins of 
the world." Dona nobis pacem, give us peace. 

Lamb of God, this is the appellation given to Jesus 
Christ. Among all the victims of the Old Law none 
could better express His mildness and innocence, none 



210 



The Meaning of the Mass 



could better represent the meaning and efficacy of 
His sacrifice. Because God wished to accomplish in 
favor of mankind those designs of peace by the mis- 
sion of His Son, that He wished the blood of a lamb 
rather than of any other animal should be placed 
over the doors of the Israelites, because it was the test 
figure that could be given to the blood of Jesus Christ, 
who alone could please Him and release us from the 
captivity of the devil. It is in this sense that St. 
John says in the Apocalypse : " That He was the 
Lamb slain from the commencement of the world.'' 
(13 :8.) Qui tollis peccata mundi. Who taketh away 
the sins of the world. St. John the Baptist teaches us 
that the Messias came to take away the sins of the 
world. God had announced to Daniel the coming of 
the Savior when he said : " That iniquity would be 
washed away and sin destroyed." (9:24.) Isaias 
(53:6) represented the Messias as a lamb charged 
with our iniquities destined to be slain, but He bears 
and is charged with our iniquities only to expiate them. 

This divine victim is actually upon the altar; love 
for us placed Him there. Let us then say with the 
liveliest sentiments of confidence which in His mercy 
He gave us : have mercy on us. If we feel the want 
of His grace, we redouble our cries; have mercy on 
us. Grant unto us the peace of the Lord, that peace 
which reconciles us with God by the remission of our 
sins: dona nobis pacem. 

In Masses for the dead, the Church occupied with 



A gnus Dei 



211 



the souls of purgatory, instead of saying have mercy 
on us, asks repose for those souls, that is to say, relief 
from their pains ; and the third time she asks for the 
complement of happiness, that eternal repose which 
the Saints will forever enjoy in Heaven, and as the 
peace which the priest asks for himself and for the 
Church does not belong to them, he does not say dona 
nobis pacem, nor the following prayer, which I will 
undertake to explain. The priest, bowed down and 
holding his hands joined on the altar, and eyes fixed 
upon the Blessed Sacrament, says in a loud voice: 
Domine Jesu Christe, etc., that is, " Lord Jesus Christ 
who said to Thy Apostles: Peace I leave with you, 
my peace I give unto you, regard not my sins, but the 
faith of Thy Church, and vouchsafe it that peace and 
unity which is agreeable to Thy will who livest and 
reignest God, forever and ever. Amen." 

Lord Jesus Christ, Christ means anointed, and 
Jesus signifies Savior. The divine Jesus is our Savior 
because He bought us by His blood, and He is both 
Christ and Savior, because He was anointed and con- 
secrated of God His Father to give us liberty and life. 
Who said to His Apostles: My peace I leave you, 
my peace I give you. The priest who said for him- 
self and for all the people: Lamb of God who take 
away the sins of the world have mercy on us, feels 
himself forced to make known to the Savior, that this 
peace should be looked upon as the greatest good for 
Christians, since in giving to His Apostles the strong- 



212 



The Meaning of the Mass 



est marks of His love, the night before His passion 
and death he said to them: I leave you my peace, I 
give you my peace. Regard not my sins. The priest 
here speaks of his own sins, and not of the sins of 
those who are present at the Mass; he looks upon 
himself when at the altar as an unworthy servant; 
he acknowledges himself charged with numberless 
crimes, sins, and offenses; he speaks of himself when 
he says my servitude, but on the contrary he calls 
those who are assisting at the sacrifice, children of 
the family, the family which he names with respect, 
as the holy people, and if in one single place he men- 
tions them among enemies when he says : Nobis 
quoque peccatoribus, and to us also sinners, he strikes 
his breast as if he were the only guilty one in the 
whole assembly: his humility leads him to take care 
of his own faults. This is the disposition which actu- 
ates him when he says : O Lord, regard not my sins, 
sed fidem Ecclesiae tuae, but the faith of Thy Church. 
He would wish that it was the Church alone, the 
Church pure and holy that made known to God her 
great desire for peace ; he fears lest his sins might put 
an obstacle in the way of the grace he asks, and con- 
sequently he prays that God would not regard his 
sins, but the faith of the Church whose minister he is, 
that He may grant this so much desired. Aamque 
secundum voluntatem tuam pacificare et custodire dig- 
neris, and deign to grant peace and union according to 
Thy will. This peace, so often asked in the Mass, and 



A gnus Dei 



213 



which according to the will of Jesus Christ is that 
firm peace which He enjoys and which should unite all 
the members of the Church, as He wishes they should 
be united among themselves and in God, according to 
the prayer which He made to His Father, after He said 
to His Apostles : I give you my peace. Who being God 
liveth and reigneth forever and ever. Amen. The 
priest asks this grace from Jesus Christ, because He 
is God omnipotent, and because He can do all that His 
Father can do because He liveth and reigneth with Him 
forever and forever. Amen. 

This was the only prayer used in ancient 
times, because all the other prayers which pre- 
ceded it might be taken as a sufficient preparation 
for communion. But many holy persons finding them- 
selves as overcome with respect and a holy fear as 
the moment of receiving the precious body of Jesus 
Christ approached, that they asked again for the re- 
mission of their sins and the graces which commu- 
nion should produce in a soul well prepared. The faith- 
ful who prepare themselves for communion could not 
do better than to enter into the spirit of the prayer 
which the priest says instead of following the various 
other prayers that are to be found in prayer-books. 
It is greatly to be feared that the faithful accustom 
themselves to say a great many things, which their 
hearts belie, when they recite the different prayers 
which are to be found in these books as a preparation 
for communion. They sometimes make protestations 



214 The Meaning of the Mass 



and promises which are inconsistent with the weak- 
ness which their many relapses have unfortunately- 
had them feel. The prayers which the Church puts 
in our mouth here are not subject to these incon- 
veniences, because they are perfectly in accordance with 
our state in life and wants, and they express all the 
dispositions we should have. 

The first of these prayers which the priest says, 
when bowing down before the Blessed Sacrament, be- 
gins with : Domine Jesu Christe, that is, " Lord Jesus 
Christ, Son of the living God, who according to the 
will of Thy Father, through the co-operation of the 
Holy Ghost, hast by Thy death given life to the 
world, deliver me by this Thy most sacred body from 
all my iniquities and from all evils, and make me 
always adhere to Thy commandments, and never suf- 
fer me to be separated from Thee who with same 
God the Father and the Holy Ghost livest and reign- 
est, God forever and ever. Amen/' 

Lord Jesus Christ Son of the living God. The 
priest addresses Jesus Christ and calls Him Son of the 
living God, of God the Father, who is the principle 
of life and who communicates it to His Son with the 
sovereign power to communicate to whomsoever He 
wishes. " For as the Father hath life in Himself, 
so hath He also given the Son to have life in Him- 
self. " (John 5:26.) 

And the Son gives life to whom He pleases. The 
life of grace is necessary to partake of the sacred 



Agnus Dei 



215 



Eucharist which is the food of the soul with which 
she cannot be nourished unless in living this life of 
grace.— Qui per mortem tuam mundum vivificasti, 
who by Thy death gave life to the world. Jesus 
Christ in giving life to the world by His death, in 
expiating in His body on the Cross all the punish- 
ments due to sin which gave us death. Ex voluntate 
Patris, by the will of the Father. The priest inter- 
ests all the Blessed Trinity to obtain that life which 
God promised. He represents to Jesus Christ that it 
is by the will and authority of His Father that He 
gives life to the world. " Is it not," says St. Paul, 
" the will of the Heavenly Father that we live, when 
we were dead by Sin? " Says the Apostle, " He hath 
quickened us together in Jesus Christ." That is, He 
hath given us life in Jesus Christ by the grace through 
which we are saved. Co-operante spiritu Sancto, the 
Holy Ghost co-operated in the salvation we receive 
from Jesus Christ by forming His body in the chaste 
womb of the Virgin Mary to be a holy and agreeable 
host; He co-operates in it daily by contributing, on 
the altar, to the transubstantiation of the adorable 
body of Jesus Christ, so that it may be offered to 
give life to our soul. Libera me per hoc sacro-sanc- 
tum corpus et sanguiem tuum. Deliver me by this 
holy and sacred body and by this blood. The priest, 
persuaded that Jesus Christ possesses all the power 
of the divine persons to give us life, confidently asks 
it by His sacred and His precious blood which are in 



216 



The Meaning of the Mass 



the sacrifice of the altar to apply to us the merits of 
His death. Ab omnibus iniquitatibus meis: all that 
which is offered to the life of the soul, that is sin, and 
on this account the priest says deliver me from my 
iniquities, and from everything which can lead me to 
sin, and the dangers which surround me. Give me 
grace, O Lord Jesus, to remain firmly attached to 
Thy precepts and never to separate myself from Thee. 
We cannot have true life except we keep the divine 
precepts. If thou wouldst enter into life, said the 
Lord, keep the commandments and never permit me 
to be separated from thee: the true means of avoid- 
ing the evils of the soul and of observing the com- 
mandments in a Christian manner, is to be always at- 
tached to Jesus Christ, and we are always united to 
Him when we do His will, and in order to unite our- 
selves in such a manner that we cannot be separated, 
He should be the principle of all our thoughts, of all 
our words, of all our desires, and of all our actions. 
If our love was as strong as St. Paul's, we would be 
able to say: Who shall separate us from the love of 
Jesus Christ? But dangers, temptation, our weak- 
ness, oblige us to ask Him that he would never allow 
us to be separated from Him, who, being God, liveth 
and reigneth with the Father and the Holy Ghost, 
world without end. Amen. 

The second prayer which the priest makes before 
communion begins with the words: Perceptio cor- 
poris tui, etc. ; that is, Let not the participation of 



Agntis Dei 



217 



Thy body, O Lord Jesus Christ, which I all unworthy 
presume to receive, turn to my judgment and con- 
demnation, but through Thy goodness may it be to 
me a safeguard, a remedy, both of soul and body, who 
with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Ghost, 
livest and reignest. God forever and ever. Amen. 
Miserable sinners that we are, do we not know that 
we are unworthy of such grace? Who are we, worms 
of the earth, that we would approach the God of Maj- 
esty, to seat ourselves at His table? Who is there 
that is worthy of holding in his hands and eating 
the bread of angels, of nourishing himself with the 
flesh of a God, of possessing within his body sanctity 
itself? Have we not reason to fear that we are blind 
as to our state? The bishop of Laodicea thought 
that he had all kinds of graces and virtues; however, 
St. John wrote to him on the part of God, that he 
saw his luke-warmness, that he was truly poor, naked 
and blind, seeing neither his faults nor his weakness. 
Who, then, would dare receive the body of Jesus 
Christ without trembling? 

This fear leads the priest to pray to Jesus Christ 
that he would not incur the judgment and condem- 
nation merited by those who receive the source of 
sanctity with a criminal soul, but that through His 
goodness it would be a safeguard and a remedy both 
of soul and body ; he asks that through His mercy the 
sacred body and the precious blood might be a pres- 
ervation, both of mind and body, against all sins, 



218 



The Meaning of the Mass 



mortal and venial, and that this divine food might 
give him the courage and strength necessary to resist 
all the attacks of the enemy of his salvation, and that 
it might be a salutary remedy. As we cannot promise 
ourselves that we will be without wounds and scars 
since we are weak and feeble, and since we often fall 
into a great many faults, the priest again asks Jesus 
Christ that His precious body might be a remedy 
against all the evils which we know not; that He 
would repair the strength we lose daily ; that He would 
cure the wounds our souls incessantly receive; that 
as He restores our body and soul to the immortality 
they lost by sin, it might be a germ, a seed, a princi- 
ple of life, for eternal happiness. 

How rare are these graces, since the conduct of the 
majority of Christians who go to communion, is not 
more Christian or edifying after communion. Let 
Thy sacrament, O Lord! cure all our weaknesses. I 
speak to Thy precious body, which I am about to re- 
ceive ; make my soul so pure by Thy sovereign purity 
that it may no longer have either stain or wrinkle. 
I am sick, but Thou art the sovereign physician; I 
am full of miseries, but Thou art the God of Mercy. 
Then the priest asks Jesus Christ, who is all power- 
ful, who liveth and reigneth with God the Father, in 
the Holy Ghost with whom He is one and the same 
God, world without end. Amen. 



COMMUNION OF THE PRIEST 



" Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Thy name give glory." 

— Psalms 113:9. 

The nearer the moment of the consummation of 
sacrifice approaches, the more should the Christian 
be penetrated with the sentiment expressed in these 
words. Christ sacrificed Himself for us. In the 
prayer which accompanies the sacrifice He was atten- 
tive only to our wants, and soon He will prove to all 
those who approach His sacred table that He prepared 
the banquet for them, and that it was His delight not 
only to converse with them, but to live for them. We 
cannot repeat too often with the prophet : " What is 
man, O Lord, that Thou wouldst be mindful of him, 
or the Son of man that Thou shouldst visit him?" 
Man is but dust and ashes ; corruption and misery cover 
him as a garment ; and the oftener he hears through the 
Church that Christ comes upon earth for him, that it 
was for him He offered Himself in sacrifice, the 
oftener he will say with the prophet, " Not to us, O 
Lord, not to us, but to Thy name give glory." This 
is the spirit and the meaning of the prayer we will un- 
dertake to explain and which commences with the 
words : Domine non sum dignus. O Lord, I am not 

219 



220 



The Meaning of the Mass 



worthy. The Church desires us to always keep in 
mind that in whatsoever God does for us, His attri- 
butes of mercy and indulgence shine forth, and that on 
the part of those He admits to His holy table, there 
is nothing but weakness and unworthiness, and the 
more the Christian feels his misery the nearer he ap- 
proaches the dispositions this sacrament requires. 

According as the moment of the consummation of 
the sacrifice approaches, the greater should be our 
desire to participate in it. If through love of us 
Jesus Christ so wonderfully desired to eat the last 
passover, should we not also ardently desire to par- 
ticipate in that passover so precious, so advantageous 
and so necessary for the life of our soul ? What would 
be the consequence if we had no desire for this 
Heavenly food, if we partook of it with indifference, 
or without a relish? If distaste be a sign of sickness 
in the body, can we not say that the soul is sick when 
it receives the living bread in an indifferent manner 
without a sense of hunger or relish ? 

What do we mean here by the word hunger? We 
mean a void in the heart, an interior want which re- 
quires repletion from God. This spiritual hunger 
should precede the Heavenly nourishment. We learn 
from Moses that God made the Israelites feel this 
hunger in the desert before He caused the manna to 
fall from Heaven. " He afflicted them with want and 
gave them manna for food." (Deut. 8:3.) With 
this spiritual hunger the heart is as it were impatient 



Communion of the Priest 



221 



for the moment when the living God will come to 
visit it. And like the prophet it rejoices as the mo- 
ment approaches. " My heart and my flesh have re- 
joiced in the living God." (Ps. 83:3.) Whosoever 
does not feel this joy bears within himself an infallible 
sign of imperfection, of self-love. It were better for 
him to remain away until he has learned to mortify 
his passions, subdue his evil desires and purify his 
heart. 

On the contrary, thrice happy is he who, when about 
to receive the bread of life, feels a real hunger for it, 
for he who feels his want will cry out from his heart 
with all the eagerness of a hungry and starving man : 
" I will take the Heavenly bread and I will invoke 
the name of the Lord." The name of God, that is 
the Majesty of God, which is the same as to call upon 
God Himself. I will invoke Him. I will call upon 
Him to my aid, my support and my life. Whilst say- 
ing these words the priest takes the sacred body of 
Jesus Christ in his hands, and feeling that the moment 
has arrived when he will be united, when he will be 
incorporated with his God, he trembles, he acknowl- 
edges the infinite disproportion between the sinner 
and Him who is sanctity itself. He bows profoundly 
at the thought of infinite Majesty deigning to become 
his food and with the holy man Job exclaims : " What 
is man, O Lord, that he should be raised to such 
glory?" And who are we sinners, worms of the 
earth, that we should approach a God so holy? to be 



222 



The Meaning of the Mass 



fed with His divine flesh. The priest, conscious of 
his weakness, strikes his breast thrice whilst repeat- 
ing the words : " Lord, I am not worthy that Thou 
shouldst enter under my roof, say but the word and 
my soul shall be healed." Lord, I am not worthy. 
Man by reason of his unworthiness should indeed be 
humble; why should he not fear at finding himself 
so near his God, who is a consuming fire? What 
proportion is there between the King of Glory and vile 
creatures? Heaven and earth cannot contain the Son 
of God; how, then, can He dwell within our bodies, 
those bodies of clay, which have so often deserved to 
be reduced to ashes. The priest joining his humility 
with faith in God, omnipotent, represents to Him that 
without coming to Him and by one word alone He can 
heal his soul and fill it with every grace and bless- 
ing. " Say but the word and my soul shall be healed." 
He remembers also that Jesus Christ commands us 
to receive Him, and seems as it were to say: Thou 
hast commanded us, O Lord, to receive Thee, Thou 
canst purify and prepare me in an instant, and then 
he adds, " May the body of our Lord Jesus Christ 
protect my soul unto life eternal," and then partakes 
of the sacred body. The body of Jesus Christ, the 
same that was sacrificed on the Cross to glorify the 
Father, becomes the food of our souls. Although the 
flesh of the Son of God, who is the victim of our sac- 
rifice, is but a material substance, it has power to 
vivify our spirits. In the natural order of things it 



Communion of the Priest 



223 



is the spirit that vivifies the body, but here, by a sur- 
prising miracle, it is the body that vivifies the spirit, 
sustains it, animates it and serves as food to preserve 
it. It is only the power of God that can perform so 
surprising a miracle. 

And this is not all. The body of Jesus Christ is 
given to us as an assurance of the glory of Heaven, 
as a pledge of eternal happiness, as a viaticum to assist 
us in our journey from the place of our exile to our 
country, our true home, Heaven. This body is a di- 
vine salt which preserves our bodies from the cor- 
ruption of the world and sin; which consumes every- 
thing in it that is carnal and earthly, which makes it 
pleasing to God and gives it, so to speak, a foretaste 
of Heaven. " May it keep my soul unto life eternal." 

The priest, after receiving the host, meditates for 
a short while on the goodness of the mystery, whilst 
he is swallowing the host and prepares to recite the 
prayers which follow; for the Mass is composed of 
an action, composed of the things we should do or 
what we should say ; there is no room for private de- 
votion. After swallowing the host he says, How 
shall I repay the Lord ? At the same time he uncovers 
the chalice, genuflects and with the paten collects any 
fragments that may chance to remain on the corporal, 
and puts them into the chalice. She requires us to 
be exceedingly careful, lest the smallest article of 
the Eucharist should be lost or fall to the ground. 
Whilst gathering up the particles the priest says : 



224 The Meaning of the Mass 

How shall I repay Thee, O Lord, for all that Thou 
hast done for me. I will take the chalice of salva- 
tion and I will invoke the name of the Lord. I will 
invoke the name of the Lord singing His praises, and 
I shall be free from my enemies. In order to enter 
into the spirit of this prayer and understand its mean- 
ing, we should be penetrated with sentiments of grati- 
tude, fervor and love. It is impossible for us to be 
sufficiently grateful for the great gift received. Struck 
with astonishment and admiration, at seeing himself 
possessed of such unhoped for glory, the glory of being 
united, incorporated with his God, he knows not what 
to say or what to do, and these different emotions al- 
most prevent him from perceiving the means of thank- 
ing him worthily; "How shall I repay Thee for all 
thou hast done for me." How much is there con- 
tained in these words? The priest receives only the 
body of Jesus Christ, and yet he says he has received 
everything. Jesus Christ is a universal gift which 
comprises all other gifts ; for what is there that God did 
not give us when He gave us His Son? " With Him 
He hath given us all things," said St. Paul (i. Rom. 
8:32). What ingratitude, then, if on our part we do 
not appreciate them, should we not be accounted mons- 
ters of impiety, if the perfect love of Jesus Christ finds 
no response in our souls. We should say to Him with 
the Prophet : Let my right hand be forgotten if I forget 
Thee, let my tongue cleave to my jaws if I remember 
Thee not." (Ps. 136:5, 6). And since the sacrament 



Communion of the Priest 225 

of the body of Jesus Christ is a true Eucharist, that is a 
sacrament of thanksgiving, we should endeavor not 
only to prove by our conduct how much we are in- 
debted for receiving it, but also to make use of it as a 
means of thanking God for all that He has given us 
and all that he still continues to give us. How can we 
repay Him for all His mercies, how can we acknowl- 
edge our many and great obligations, the graces we 
have received and the protection afforded us if not by 
participating in this mysterious chalice? 

The chalice which the priest takes is the chalice of 
salvation, because it contains the author of our sal- 
vation, Jesus Christ, in whom we have everything 
necessary to praise and thank God. The chalice of 
His blood is the chalice of benediction which has been 
offered in thanksgiving by the divine Savior. In this 
chalice the priest finds wherewith to thank God 
worthily. Et nomen Domini invocabo, " And I will 
invoke the name of the Lord." With this chalice I 
will call upon the name of the Lord, who promised 
to satiate His people with good things. (Jeremias 
31:14.) Laudans invocabo Dominum — Praising, I 
will call upon the Lord. On God alone will I depend ; 
Him will I bless and praise forever. And I shall be 
free from my enemies. The grateful and confiding 
soul is sure to find in Him all the aid necessary 
against enemies; against the devil, who tempts us by 
his snares; against the world, which seduces us by 
its pomps; against the flesh, which corrupts us by its 



226 The Meaning of the Mass 

lust and inordinate desires. We have but to ask that 
the blood of Jesus Christ would strengthen us, and 
that it would serve for us as a viaticum to life eternal. 
May the blood of Jesus Christ protect my soul unto 
life eternal. When the priest drinks the precious 
blood, in order to consummate the sacrifice, he asks 
for Christian perseverance, and seems to say : " I 
know my weakness and misery; I know that if Thou 
wouldst abandon me, O Lord, to myself, even for a 
moment, I would fall again into the abyss of my 
crimes; but by uniting myself as closely to Thee as 
I wish to be in taking this chalice of salvation, I 
have a right to rise above myself and promise myself 
that all inconstant and fragile though I may be, I 
will persevere in Thy love and in the possession of 
Thy grace; Thy blood will wash me from my sins 
and will protect me against the enemies of my sal- 
vation and lead my soul to life everlasting." 

The priest, when taking the precious blood, holds 
the paten under the chalice, lest any drop may fall, and 
consumes the blood, together with the particle which 
is in the chalice, because he must consummate the 
sacrifice under both kinds, Jesus Christ having said 
to all the priests in the person of the Apostles, " Drink 
ye all " ; and he consumes all the blood in the chalice, 
because the holy communion is not now, as formerly, 
given to the people under both species. 

After this the priest says the prayer: Quod ore 
sumpsimus — " Grant, O Lord, that what we have 



Communion of the Priest 



227 



taken in our mouth we may receive with a pure mind 
and of a temporal gift; may it become for us an 
eternal remedy." He then offers the chalice to the 
clerk, who pours some wine into it to purify it. To 
purify a vase means, in the language of the Church, 
to remove from it whatsoever does not belong to it, 
and on this account the ablution of the chalice and 
the mouth of the priest, which is made after com- 
munion, are called purifications, and this is done in 
order that none of the body and blood of Jesus Christ 
may remain attached to them. 

Quod ore sumpsimus. How much is comprised in 
these few simple words; what sentiments do they 
not contain? Enter into the spirit of the prayer: it 
concerns you as well as the priest, since you have a 
right to communicate with Him, at least spiritually. 
What we have taken in our mouth, may we receive 
it with a pure heart. We may then take the body of 
Jesus Christ in our mouth, and yet not receive it in 
our heart. What is the difference between these two 
kinds of communion? The communion of the heart 
consists in being nourished and satiated with the body 
of Jesus Christ; to draw from it a spiritual profit, an 
increase of grace, more perfect purity, and a complete 
detachment of self-denial. If, after communion, we 
remain the same, the communion was useless for us. 
But let us not be deceived in this matter. It cannot 
be useless without being prejudicial; if it does not 
destroy grace it weakens it, and we become guilty of 



228 The Meaning of the Mass 

the body and blood of the Lord, not because we have 
profaned it, but because we have not honored it suffi- 
ciently. In a word, a useless communion prepares us 
for an unworthy communion, an unworthy commun- 
ion leads to impenitence, and impenitence hurries us 
on to hell. 

In this prayer we ask Almighty God that, through 
His mercy, this heavenly bread may be for us a rem- 
edy to sustain us during our voyage through life to 
eternity. The priest then takes the wine and water 
for the ablution of the chalice and his fingers, which 
he wipes with the purificator whilst saying : " May 
Thy body, O Lord, which I have received, and Thy 
blood, which I have drank, cleave to my bowels, and 
grant that no stain of sin may remain in me, who 
have been refreshed with pure and holy sacraments." 

Having asked of God in the preceding prayer that 
His body and His blood might be a remedy unto 
eternal life, the priest prays that they may be for him 
a nourishment that will increase his strength and 
remain with him so that he may be able to say, with 
St. Paul, "I live, now not I, but Jesus Christ lives 
in me" (Galatians 11:20), in order that there may 
remain no stain of sin in me. Corporal food, well 
digested, so strengthens the body that even after the 
most severe attack of sickness, no trace of the malady 
remains. The priest asks that his spiritual strength 
may be increased; that, by virtue of the sacred body, 
there may remain in him no trace of sin or crime, but 



Communion of the Priest 



229 



that, on the contrary, the body of Jesus Christ may 
increase in him charity, which is the health and life 
of the soul. 

After communion we should ask for an increase of 
charity, in these moments when we possess the source 
of love within ourselves, when the Heavens are 
opened and the just have come down upon earth. It 
sometimes happens that Jesus Christ comes to us and 
we remain cold and unmoved; we even bear a fire 
within us; we conceal it in our heart, and yet feel no 
impression from it. 

Grant, O Lord, that we may feel the effects of 
that fire which Thou didst come upon earth to kindle 
— the fire of Thy divine charity. Say unto us, O 
Lord, that Thou art our salvation; but say it in such 
a manner that we may hear it. The consolation of 
having heard it will sustain us during life and lead 
us to love Thee more and more, that we may one day 
merit to love Thee throughout eternity. 



COMMUNION OF THE PEOPLE 



" The chalice which we bless, is it not the communion of the 
blood of Christ? And the bread which we break, is it not the 
partaking of the body of the Lord?" — I Cor. 10:16. 

This is the idea which St. Paul gave to the first 
Christians of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and this 
idea is in perfect conformity with the teaching of the 
Church regarding the sacrifice of the Mass. The ben- 
ediction of the chalice and the breaking of the bread 
are not separate or distinct from communion in the 
blood of Jesus Christ and participation in His body. 
Firmly convinced that the communion is essential to 
the sacrifice, she looks upon the sacrifice as consum- 
mated only when the priest at least has consumed 
the species. Now, if the communion of the priest be 
indispensable for the integrity of the sacrifice, what 
must we think and say of the communion of the peo- 
ple, seeing that it is for them, as well as for him- 
self, that the priest offered the holy victim? Are we 
not justified in concluding that participation in the 
victim is equally necessary for the people and those 
who minister at the altar? It is true that the actual 
or present custom of the Church seems to derogate 
from this necessity. The priest is obliged by the holy 

230 



Communion of the People 231 

action, but the people are bound only in a general 
sort of way, to unite themselves in spirit with the 
sacrament. It would be overstraining the matter to 
say that the sacrifice is no benefit to those who do not 
actually communicate, and it would be equally want- 
ing in truth to teach that it is not the intention of 
the Church to require from the faithful, as far as it is 
possible, a desire to communicate as often as they 
assist at the sacrifice of the Mass. Between these 
two seemingly opposite opinions there is a happy 
medium, which every Christian should know, and 
which it is important for me to explain. 

As you well remember, and as we have already seen 
in former instructions, the Mass is not a sacrifice for 
the priest alone — it is also for the people, for those 
who assist at it. The prayers are all common to priest 
and people, and even at the consecration which is per- 
formed by the priest in the name of Jesus Christ, 
whom he represents, all the actions of the sacrifice 
are common to priest and people. The communion 
being the consummation of the sacrifice, it is conse- 
quently a part which cannot be more exclusive or 
private than the rest; it must then be common to the 
people, as well as the priest. Hence it is that in 
the first ages of the Church, those who were excluded 
from the communion were also excluded from the 
sacrifice. 

If, in the lapse of time, the Church, through con- 
descension, has somewhat relaxed her ancient disci- 



232 The Meaning of the Mass 



pline by permitting the faithful to assist at Mass, 
although they do not go to communion, it is her desire 
that they would go to communion, at least spiritually, 
in order that in this one part of the Mass — namely, 
communion — they may not be any different from the 
priest than in the other parts of the sacrifice. And 
this is very plainly laid down in the Council of Trent. 
It is the intention of the Church that those who assist 
at Mass should go to communion sacramentally, and 
she condemns those who speak of those Masses at 
which none but the priest communicates, as private 
Masses, and the reason is because she does not wish 
us to consider as a private action the Mass at which 
the priest alone receives it being a public sacrifice, 
not only because it is offered for all the people, but 
because all those who are present at it share in it at 
least by a spiritual communion. What we mean by a 
sacramental communion is when we receive with the 
priest, and like the priest, the sacred body of Jesus 
Christ; and a spiritual communion is when, uniting 
ourselves in spirit with the priest who officiates, we 
share, according to our dispositions, the graces and 
fruits of the sacrament. 

As we have already treated of the sacramental com- 
munion when explaining the sacrament of Eucharist, 
it will not be necessary to repeat here the disposi- 
tions the faithful should have in order to receive com- 
munion; we will speak now only of the time when 
communion is to be made and the particular prayers 



Communion of the People 233 

the Church uses in the administration of the sac- 
rament. 

The sacramental communion of the people should 
take place immediately after the communion of the 
priest, according to the constant tradition and disci- 
pline of the Church. From what we have said of the 
sacrifice, the part which the people take in it, their 
right to do what is done by the priest, and to share 
with him in the victim which is common to both, 
must we not conclude that they are obliged to go to 
communion during the Mass and to unite themselves 
with the priest in this great and holy action? There 
is no reason why they should, without great neces- 
sity, defer a part of the sacrifice until after the sacri- 
fice is over. Before the communion of the people the 
clerk, in the name of those who are to go to commun- 
ion, says the confiteor, and then the priest, turning 
towards them, says : Misereatur vestri, etc. " May 
the Almighty God, who alone can forgive sins, have 
mercy on you, and, having pardoned your sins, may 
He lead you to life eternal." The clerk answers 
Amen, and then the priest continues: Indulgentiam, 
" May the almighty and merciful God grant you 
indulgence, absolution, and remission of your sins," 
and again the clerk answers Amen. 

Before communion the faithful make a general con- 
fession of their sins, after which the priest asks for 
absolution in their behalf, in order that they may 
publicly renew the sorrow or contrition with which 



231 The Meaning of the Mass 

they should confess and expiate their sins, so that they 
may not be like those spoken of by St. Cyprian, who, 
without having expiated their faults, have the rash- 
ness to approach the sacred table. 

The priest, holding the ciborium in his left hand, 
and in his right the consecrated particle, which he 
raises slightly, says : Ecce Agnus Dei, " Behold the 
Lamb of God." Ecce qui tollit peccata mundi, " Be- 
hold Him who takes away the sins of the world." 
What could be more expressive than these words, 
when holding up the Blessed Sacrament, and then 
the priest repeats three times the words " Domine non 
sum dignus." " Lord, I am not worthy that Thou 
shouldst enter under my roof ; say but the word and 
my soul shall be healed." He has already said these 
words for himself, and here he repeats them in the 
name of those who are to go to communion. The 
priest makes the sign of the Cross whilst saying: 
Corpus Domini — " May the body of our Lord Jesus 
Christ preserve thy soul unto life eternal." He does 
this to show that it is the same body that was sac- 
rificed on the Cross he puts into the mouth of the 
communicant. 

At the end of this prayer he, himself, says Amen. 
How expressive this word just at that moment! It 
is an act of firm faith in the real presence of Jesus 
Christ in the sacrament of the Eucharist, an act of 
the most profound adoration and homage which we 
owe to Jesus Christ as our sovereign and our God. 



Communion of the People 235 

This Amen is a mark of the impression which the 
words of the priest make on those who receive the 
sacred body of Jesus Christ, and the promise they 
make to keep themselves in the same state in which 
they are when they receive the sacrament, that it may 
in a certain measure be for them an assurance of eter- 
nal life. 

What should those who do not receive communion 
sacramentally do during the communion of the priest? 
They should make a spiritual communion. 

Spiritual communion is the union of our mind and 
heart with the sacred body of Jesus Christ, whom we 
are not worthy to receive, or whom, through a re- 
ligious fear, we dare not approach. It is receiving 
the spirit of Jesus Christ by participating in the 
graces merited for us by His sacrifice, and of which 
the Eucharist has been instituted as a channel. Sac- 
ramental communion is a real and substantial union 
of body with body, and the spiritual communion is 
a union of the spirit, the mind, the will, the affections, 
to the body of Jesus Christ, with the hope of receiv- 
ing through it the graces we ask for. If the body of 
Jesus Christ has power to vivify those who partake of 
it, has it not also the power to vivify those who 
ardently desire to partake of it, and who would par- 
take of it if their imperfections did not render them 
unworthy. 

Spiritual communion is not made in same man- 
ner by all who assist at the sacrifice. Those whom 



236 The Meaning of the Mass 

fear and humility keep away for some time from 
the sacramental communion, who, annihilating them- 
selves in the presence of Jesus Christ, and who, on 
account of the greatness of the mystery, say, with 
St. Peter : " Depart from me, O Lord, for I am a 
sinful man." In a word, those who are not guilty of 
any crime which separates them from the sacred table, 
communicate spiritually in a manner different from 
those who are excluded on account of their un- 
worthiness. 

The first communicate spiritually in the body of 
Jesus Christ, through the love they have for Him. 
When the priest communicates they excite themselves 
to a more perfect love; they reproach themselves for 
their faults and imperfections, their lukewarmness 
and sloth, in order that they may merit the grace to 
receive sacramentally afterwards with the purest and 
most holy dispositions. And as the property of love 
is to be united with the object loved, to attach, so 
to speak, the heart to the one loved, the effect of this 
love is to unite them more intimately with Jesus 
Christ, and to unite Jesus Christ more strongly to 
themselves; He abides in them and makes them abide 
in Him. For, according to the Fathers, the Eucharist 
is a banquet of love, where he who loves most enjoys 
the most; it is a table of charity; it is charity invites 
us there; it is charity that nourishes us, and it is 
charity that is nourished. 

But how can those who have had the misfortune 



Communion of the People 287 

of falling into sin communicate spiritually before they 
become reconciled with God in the sacrament of pen- 
ance? Since the Church has been lenient in conde- 
scending in their favor; since she has relaxed the 
severity of her discipline and permits them to be 
present at the sacrifice of the altar and gives them a 
right to assist there, she consequently looks upon 
their presence there as useful to them. This useful- 
ness can be found only in the part they take in the 
sacrifice, in the fruit they can draw from it, and the 
fruit they draw from the communion of those who 
have persevered in grace. In the one the participation 
in the spirit of Jesus Christ supplies, in a certain meas- 
ure, for participation in the body; but in the other 
there is a participation which is distant, imperfect, 
commenced in the spirit of Jesus Christ, who does 
not yet dwell in them, and who only excites and in- 
vites them to penance. The former are one and the 
same victim with Jesus Christ, with whom they are 
offered, whilst the latter are unworthy of being united 
to Him on account of their unworthiness, because God 
rejects every unclean and sullied victim. 

Their only resource is in the fact that the sacri- 
fice of the Mass is a sacrifice of propitiation, in which 
Jesus Christ, continuing the sacrifice of the Cross, 
asks grace and mercy for the sinner from His Father, 
a sacrifice in which He offers to His Father His death 
and the blood He shed as the price of the sinner's 
redemption. He presents Himself to His Heavenly 



238 



The Meaning of the Mass 



Father the same as He was on Mount Calvary; He 
is present upon our altar only to renew all His sor- 
rows; to consummate the reconciliation of the sinner 
by the application which He makes of His merits 
to them. Jesus Christ appears before His Father, 
charged with the sinner's crimes, and as an advocate 
He pleads our case. 

But what part have you in the sacrifice? We 
see the wrath of God appeased by the humiliations of 
the body of Jesus Christ ; we receive the grace and the 
dispositions necessary to approach the sacrament of 
penance, in virtue of which our sins are forgiven. 
This is the part we take in the sacrifice and the spirit- 
ual communion we can make, but in order to make 
this spiritual communion, something is required of us. 
An humble and contrite heart, a sincere, a solid and 
efficacious respect which will lead us to try to be- 
come worthy of Jesus Christ in His sacrament; a 
heart broken with sorrow for having separated our- 
selves from Jesus Christ by sin, for what advantage 
would be the respect which keeps us from commun- 
ion on account of our unworthiness if it produced no 
effect upon us, and if we continue to remain cold, 
indifferent, and insensible to this great and most im- 
portant act of religion? In the flourishing ages of 
Christianity, when the sinner remained away from 
communion he was undergoing the painful duty of 
penance, whilst in our day the penance of the Christian 
consists in remaining away from communion and 



Communion of the People 



239 



doing nothing to free himself from the frightful 
state. 

We should then look upon it as the greatest evil 
that can befall us to be separated from a sacrament 
whose participation is the assurance of our happiness, 
or rather, which is our anticipated happiness. Should 
it not be a cause of sorrow for us to be deprived 
of this heavenly food, which is the flesh of Jesus 
Christ, that if we are unworthy of receiving it, either 
sacramentally or spiritually at least, we should try, 
by our contrition and our humiliations, to share in 
its graces? Without these dispositions, what part 
can we have in the sacrifice of the Mass ? Sin renders 
us unworthy of sacramental communion, and our im- 
penitence makes us unworthy of a spiritual commun- 
ion. Since both are essential for the sacrifice, and 
since we cannot take part in either, does it not follow 
there is no sacrifice for us? What a dreadful condi- 
tion in the eye of faith! O Lord, we confess in the 
bitterness of our hearts that we are unworthy of hav- 
ing Thee under our roof; say but the word and our 
souls shall be healed. Thy power can overcome our 
resistance, and Thy mercy form in us a sincerely 
penitent heart. We ask that we may communicate 
spiritually in the sacrifice of Thy body, that we may 
receive grace which, in time, will make us worthy of 
receiving sacramentally those graces which will work 
out our salvation and lead us to life everlasting. 
Amen. 



END OF THE MASS 



"All things whatsoever you do in word or in work, all things 
do ye in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God 
and the Father by him." — Colos. 3:17. 

The Mass throughout may be considered a con- 
tinual thanksgiving. Jesus Christ is there called the 
Eucharistic victim; and every Christian wishing to be 
united to the sacrifice which he offers to the Father 
should share with Jesus Christ that gratitude which 
is due to God, whose mercy provides for all our wants 
and follows us with every blessing. Although thanks- 
giving belongs to the essence of the sacrifice, as the 
immolation and prayer, still it seemed necessary for 
the Church to consecrate a part of her liturgy to tes- 
tify to God her gratitude for the unspeakable mys- 
tery which takes place on her altar, and for the 
infinite multitude of graces which this mystery con- 
fers upon the whole Church. This is the sentiment 
which pervades the latter part of the Mass, and the 
matter we will now consider; and thus end the series 
of instruction on the Mass, with which we have been 
occupied for a considerable length of time. 

Gratitude is just as essential as any other disposi- 
tions which make us sharers in the fruits of the 

great sacrifice, and the Church requires the same fer- 

240 



End of the Mass 



241 



vor and devotion and attention during the last prayers 
of the Mass as for any of the others which precede 
them. 

When one has shared in the sacrifice of the Mass 
by communion, all ends with thanksgiving. The lat- 
ter part of the Mass is composed of the anthem of 
communion and the post communion, and these con- 
tain the motives why we should appreciate the graces 
we have received, in order to preserve in our soul a 
desire to profit by them. When the priest has purified 
and covered the chalice he goes to the corner of the 
altar to read the anthem called the communion, be- 
cause this versicle, which is generally taken from 
the Psalms, should be sung during the time of com- 
munion. The Apostolic traditions require the Thirty- 
third Psalm to be said during the communion, it be- 
ing always considered as a hymn of thanksgiving. 
The present custom of the Church is to select one 
verse which has reference both to the feast celebrated 
and to the graces granted through the merits of Jesus 
Christ, to those who receive communion worthily. 
We cannot meditate too often on these anthems, for 
there we find the motives best calculated to inspire us 
with a desire of being united with Jesus Christ in the 
sacrament of His body and His blood. 

After reading this anthem the priest returns to the 
center of the altar and, turning towards the people, 
says : " Dominus vobiscum " — " The Lord be with 
you." At the beginning of each action which consti- 



242 The Meaning of the Mass 

tutes a separate part of the Mass the priest salutes the 
people, and this salutation, which we have already- 
explained and which is so often repeated in the Mass, 
is here made because there is question of performing 
a great duty, to return thanks to God for the sacra- 
ment we have received and the sacrifice which has 
been offered, and to ask that the sacrifice might pro- 
duce in us the effects for which it was intended, 
which duty we cannot well perform without additional 
assistance from God. The priest and people mutually 
wish this assistance. The importance of this prayer 
is clearly shown by the fact of the priest asking the 
people to join him in the thanksgiving, and this is 
done when he says : " Oremus," that is, " Let us 
pray." In this prayer we thank God for the unspeak- 
able happiness of having shared in the divine sacri- 
fice, and we ask for the grace to preserve the fruit of 
this holy sacrifice which was offered ; this fruit is the 
remission of our sins, the grace of a holy life, and 
all that is necessary to enable us to work out our sal- 
vation and merit eternal life. 

After this prayer the priest dismisses the people. 
Although the sacrifice of the Mass ends with the 
post communion, the canons of the councils forbid 
the people to leave the Church before they are dis- 
missed by the priest, who says : " Ite messa est." 

The Church, in dismissing the people, wishes them 
to understand that the ambassador by excellence, who 
is Jesus Christ, has been sent by us to God the Father, 



End of the Mass 243 

before whom He bears the marks of His passion; 
she announces that the mystery has been accomplished, 
that the victim has been borne to the altar of God, that 
the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and His Church has been 
accepted by the Father as an agreeable odor, and 
that our prayers have been carried to Heaven by the 
hands of the angel of High Council up to the altar 
on high. 

The people answer: " Deo Gratias " — " Thanks 
be to God." This is what the Apostles did after they 
were blessed by Jesus Christ, before He ascended into 
Heaven; they went away filled with joy, praising, 
blessing, and thanking God. 

There could not be a more fitting termination for 
this grandest of sacrifices and the most merciful work 
of God than thanksgiving. This is recommended in 
the Scripture, where we read, in Deuteronomy 32 : 3 : 
" Celebrate the magnificence of God ; his works are 
perfect." This short prayer, Thanks be to God, is 
so holy, so perfect, and so worthy of God that it is 
almost impossible to terminate the great sacrifice with 
words more mysterious or more divine. It belongs in 
such an especial manner to God that we cannot, with- 
out blasphemy, offer it to any creature, nor use it in 
any other sense than that which the Church, Sacred 
Scripture, and Tradition have always used it. 

During the tenth century there were some few addi- 
tions made to the ceremonial of the Mass, among 
which is the prayer which the priest recites privately, 



244 The Meaning of the Mass 

with hands joined upon the altar and head bowed 
down. This prayer is of very ancient origin, and was 
formerly said by the priest, not at the altar, but in 
his private devotions. It is a sort of recapitulation of 
all the prayers of the Mass, and is conceived in the 
words : Placeat tibi, sancta Trinitas, etc. " O Holy 
Trinity, let the performance of my homage be pleas- 
ing to Thee, and grant that the sacrifice which I, 
unworthy, have offered up in the sight of Thy Maj- 
esty, may be acceptable to Thee, and, through Thy 
mercy, be propitious for me and all those for whom 
I have offered it." 

By these words the priest prays that God would 
deign to accept his ministry and the acknowledgment 
which he makes of his dependence; that the sacrifice, 
which, notwithstanding his unworthiness, he offers 
to the divine Majesty, may be favorably received, and 
in mercy applied for his own salvation and the salva- 
tion of those for whom it is offered, and, lastly, that 
He would bless those gifts, and those to whom He 
gives them, knowing full well that man, if left to 
himself, is capable only of abusing and turning them 
to his destruction. 

The priest, having recited the prayer, raises his 
eyes and his hands to Heaven and, bowing to the 
Cross, says : " Benedicat vos Omnipotens Deus " — 
" May the Almighty God bless you," then, turning 
towards the people he makes the sign of the Cross to 
show that the Cross of Jesus Christ is the source of 



End of the Mass 



245 



grace and everything that can contribute to our sanc- 
tification. The people answer Amen. 

Man cannot bless except by calling on God Himself, 
as we learn from the Scripture, where the Lord com- 
manded Moses to bless the people : " May the Lord 
bless and preserve you; may he look favorably upon 
you and grant you peace." (Deut. 24:19.) The 
priest asks Almighty God to shower His graces and 
favors upon those present, as did St. Paul when he 
said to the Philippians : " May the peace of God, 
which surpasseth all understanding, keep your hearts 
and your minds in Jesus Christ; may he supply all 
your wants out of the richness of his goodness/' 

(Phii. 4:7-) 

This blessing was added to the ceremonies of the 
Mass about eight hundred years ago. All the prayers 
of the Mass are so many blessings of the people. The 
sacrifice of the Mass is, in itself, the principal means 
of conferring grace — it was instituted for that pur- 
pose. Jesus Christ offers Himself in the Mass for the 
sanctification of the faithful, and the priest asks for 
them every heavenly blessing. When he offers the 
host it is for all present, that they may profit by it 
unto life eternal. He prays that God would admit 
them among the elect and grant them His peace; this 
peace is the true source of benediction. The priest 
asks it again at the end of the Pater Noster. " May 
the peace of the Lord be always with you." Nothing 
is more praiseworthy than to go to church when the 



246 The Meaning of the Mass 



blessed sacrament is exposed for adoration, and 
nothing is more deplorable than to find at such a 
time there are so few worshipers. In Masses for the 
dead there is no blessing, because then all solemnities 
are omitted, and because we have in those Masses 
the consolation and comfort of the dead in view we 
omit everything that can be of no service to them 
they being not present. 

The priest, having given the benediction, reads the 
Gospel of St. John, with the same ceremonies as those 
observed at the first Gospel, which we have already 
explained. During the reading of the Gospel the 
priest genuflects when repeating the words " Et ver- 
bum caro factum est," " And the Word w r as made 
flesh," in order to adore the Word of God, who hum- 
bled Himself so far as to take upon Himself our hu- 
manity. At the end of the Gospel the clerk answers 
" Deo Gratias," so that the Mass may always end in 
thanksgiving. 

The Gospel of St. John was the last addition made 
to the ceremonial of the Mass. Formerly the priest 
recited this Gospel in private, but, on account of the 
great veneration of the people for the Gospel, 
the Church, in response to their desires, commanded it 
to be read aloud at the end of every Mass. 

It will not be necessary for me here to explain the 
words of this Gospel; and, moreover, it would be 
impossible for me to explain words which surpass all 
human understanding. In this Gospel, St. John points 



End of the Mass 



247 



out the infinite greatness, the eternity, and the divinity 
of the Word, by whom all things were made; after 
which he recounts His goodness and mercy in becom- 
ing man and dwelling among us, to enlighten our 
minds and to sanctify our hearts. At the end of the 
Gospel the people respond : " Deo gratias," that is, 
" Thanks be to God." And why should we not thank 
God for all the favors we have received? Thanks be 
to the Father, who gave us His only Son; thanks be 
to the Son, who clothed Himself with our humanity, 
in order to expiate our sins by His death. Thanks 
be to the Holy Ghost, who sanctified us in Jesus Christ ; 
thanks to the Word made flesh, to the Lamb divine, 
who came to offer Himself for us, to sacrifice Himself 
for us, to become Himself our food and nourishment ; 
thanks to God for all His gifts and mercies; thanks 
in time and eternity. 

In order to preserve the fruit of the sacrifice we 
should frequently call to mind the sentiments we expe- 
rienced during the great sacrifice, and if we are 
tempted to wander away, if we have the misfortune 
to become lukewarm or indifferent, recollect the pas- 
sion and death of Jesus Christ, which was what was 
most intended to effect your heart and your soul. If 
you wish to experience the advantages of assisting 
at Mass, think of it frequently; remain united with 
Jesus Christ, not only in your prayers and good 
works, but still more in the occupations of your state 
in life; continue to offer Jesus Christ; offer yourself 



248 The Meaning of the Mass 

with Him. Let Jesus Christ be the soul of your soul ; 
let all your thoughts, all your actions, proceed from 
Him and His spirit. Let Him remain with you after 
Mass by the presence of His holy spirit if He be not 
there by His body. Offer Him incessantly to the 
Father, in thanksgiving for the favors He has con- 
ferred upon you for the accomplishment of your sal- 
vation, and by that means you will merit to continue 
the oblation and communion in the society of the 
saints throughout eternity. 



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